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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “savequeries”

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 “savequeries”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 3 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

oik bwtrace shows at wp.org #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 20+ 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Debug Bar 20K+ · 4.1★ (69) wp.org #1 2 Debug Log Manager Tool 3K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #2 3 WP Debugging 10K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #3 4 Debug 2K+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #4 5 WPEPP – Essential Security, Password Protect & Login Page Customizer 3K+ · 4.1★ (19) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Debug This 2K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 atec Debug 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 Hagakure – Yet Another Error Reporter 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 S Site Pulse 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Developer Debug Mode 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 GLOBUS Debug Control 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 SiteIntelix – Developer & Admin Toolkit 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 L liaison site health monitor — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 2 too low 14 MITS Profiler — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 MetrixWire APM — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 Arvexa Performance Overlay — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 2 too low 17 CodeTelemetryLab Admin Performance Inspector — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Health Radar 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 D Debug Manager Pro — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Dobsie — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 2khat Catalog Sync 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 CB Site Health & Debug — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Dev Limits – Server Limits Manager — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 oik bwtrace 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 11 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.