wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “scheduled changes”
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 “scheduled changes”, 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
Scheduled Posts Showcase shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 8706 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #9 4 too low 6 
PublishPress Revisions: Duplicate Posts, Submit, Approve and Schedule Content Changes 10K+ · 4.6★ (66)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Missed Scheduled Posts Publisher by WPBeginner 20K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 
MWW Scheduled Post Trigger 60K+ · 4.4★ (27)
wp.org #4 5 too high 10 
WPvivid — Backup, Migration & Staging 900K+ · 4.9★ (1568)
wp.org #10 11 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too low 12 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #16 4 too low 13 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #12 1 too high 14 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too low 15 
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #21 5 too low 17 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑4 4 too high 18 
WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167)
wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too low 19 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #22 ↑1 3 too low 20 
Scheduled & Automatic Order Status Controller for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #11 9 too high 21 
Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓4 2 too high 22 
Discount Rules and Dynamic Pricing for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.7★ (248) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
One Stop Shop for WooCommerce 10K+ · 5.0★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓3 6 too high 24 Scheduled Posts Showcase 30+ · 4.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑6 10 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.