wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “rewrite api”

wp.org orders by popularity, so a plugin a host bundled onto millions of sites, or a big-brand one that's slow and mediocre, can sit at the top. Our ranking is built to answer a different question: which of these is actually worth installing. How this works →

For “rewrite api”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20.

wp.org search ranks on

Install count (uncapped), the raw star average, freshness, and support. Popularity dominates, so the biggest install base usually wins regardless of how it got there.

We add

A cap on the install boost, volume-weighted ratings, and signals wp.org can't see: whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Simple Post Publish & Rewrite using API shows at wp.org #10 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

W3 Total Cache places #12 on merit, 4.4★ from 5420 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Datafeedr API 4K+ · 4.0★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #1 2

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too low 3

AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #6 ↑2 3 too low 4

WPGet API – Connect to any external REST API 10K+ · 5.0★ (32) wp.org #3 1 too high 5

WP API SwaggerUI 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #2 3 too high 6

All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #9 3 too low 7

WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (199) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8

Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too high 9

Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #12 3 too low 10

WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #11 1 too low 11

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too low 12

W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #23 ↓1 11 too low 13

EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842) wp.org #22 ↓1 9 too low 14

Query Monitor 200K+ · 4.9★ (470) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 C Contact Form 7 to API 1K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #4 11 too high 16

Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #18 2 too low 17

Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #17 ↓1 18

Bulk Auto Image Alt Text (Alt tag, Alt attribute) optimizer (image SEO) 10K+ · 4.2★ (111) wp.org #20 2 too low 19

GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20

Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews wp.org #13 7 too high 21

Squeeze – Browser-Based Image Compression & WebP Converter (No API, No Limits) 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #14 7 too high 22

WPRaiz Content API Tool 70+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #15 7 too high 23

Simple Post Publish & Rewrite using API 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #10 13 too high 24

MB Rest API 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #19 5 too high

Merit ranking caps the install boost at 1M (wp.org leaves it uncapped), replaces the raw star average with a volume-weighted Bayesian score and a Wilson lower bound, and keeps wp.org's own freshness and compatibility decays. Method from the plugin-directory source; see Meta Trac #8298. Positions are tracked daily from the first visit to a keyword, so the small arrows show movement since tracking began.