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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “screen options”

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 “screen options”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 3 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

Options View shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 8706 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516) wp.org #1 2 Options for Twenty Twenty-One 6K+ · 4.9★ (64) wp.org #2 3 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #7 ↓1 4 too low 4 Options for Twenty Seventeen 8K+ · 4.8★ (57) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6 Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474) wp.org #13 ↑2 7 too low 7 Options for Twenty Twenty 3K+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #19 11 too low 9 Loading Page with Loading Screen 10K+ · 4.6★ (124) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 ACF Options For Polylang 20K+ · 4.4★ (17) wp.org #5 ↓1 5 too high 11 Product Options and Price Calculation Formulas for WooCommerce – Uni CPO 1K+ · 4.6★ (79) wp.org #11 ↑1 12 Product Option Kit – Product Options & Addons for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #3 ↑21 9 too high 13 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 Full Screen Background 2K+ · 4.9★ (45) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too low 15 Screen Reader Accessibility – WCAG, Text-to-Speech & AI Accessibility Fixes 600+ · 4.8★ (31) wp.org #15 ↑2 16 Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #23 ↑2 7 too low 17 Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #24 ↓11 7 too low 18 Admin Options Pages 500+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #8 ↓1 10 too high 19 Classic Visual Editor Options 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #10 ↑1 9 too high 20 Add to Home Screen & Progressive Web App 1K+ · 3.7★ (25) wp.org #16 ↑2 4 too high 21 FV Clone Screen Options 1K+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 Full Screen Galleries 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 Options View 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↓3 11 too high 24 Extra Product Options for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.1★ (9) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.