wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “rewrites”
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 “rewrites”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 2 plugins are pushed down for signals wp.org ignores: errors, a host-installed base, or removal risk.
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 it throws errors on current PHP, whether the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Custom Post Type Rewrite shows at wp.org #6 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPS Hide Login places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 2111 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #2 3 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 R Rewrite Rules Inspector 10K+ · 5.0★ (26)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #10 ↑2 4 too low 7 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111)
wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too low 9 
Gallery Custom Links 30K+ · 4.7★ (208)
wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too low 10 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #11 ↓3 1 too low 11 
GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155)
wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too low 12 
Ads.txt Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓2 4 too high 13 
Media Library Folders 10K+ · 4.3★ (465)
wp.org #24 11 too low 14 
SEO Engine – Smart SEO with AI, Schema & Redirection for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (48)
wp.org #17 ↑3 3 too low 15 
Revive.so – Bulk Rewrite and Republish Blog Posts 600+ · 4.9★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓2 2 too high 16 
No Right Click Images 20K+ · 4.7★ (52)
wp.org #20 ↓2 4 too low 17 
Bulk Auto Image Alt Text (Alt tag, Alt attribute) optimizer (image SEO) 10K+ · 4.2★ (111) not PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↓2 4 too low 18 
Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑7 2 too high 19 
Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) heavy footprint
wp.org #22 ↓9 3 too low 20 
No Category Base (WPML) 100K+ · 4.5★ (34)
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 
ActivityPub 6K+ · 4.9★ (40) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓4 3 too high 22 
Duplicate PP 10K+ · 4.4★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #19 3 too high 23 C Custom Post Type Rewrite 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↓2 17 too high 24 
Url Rewrite Analyzer 400+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #7 17 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.