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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “server uptime”

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 “server uptime”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

LukStack Uptime Monitor shows at wp.org #5 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 50+ 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

MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 2354 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 wp.org
1 WP Server Health Stats 9K+ · 4.8★ (110) wp.org #1 2 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #2 3 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #3 4 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too low 5 WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring 90K+ · 4.8★ (81) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 100K+ · 4.4★ (559) wp.org #10 ↑2 4 too low 7 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too low 8 ManageWP Worker 1M+ · 4.6★ (679) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 Modular DS: Monitor, update, and backup multiple websites 40K+ · 5.0★ (133) wp.org #13 ↓2 4 too low 10 Version Info – Server Health Monitor, PHP & MySQL Version Display, Environment Indicators 10K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies 20K+ · 4.9★ (2354) wp.org #23 12 too low 12 Security Ninja – WordPress Security & Firewall 7K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #18 ↑2 6 too low 13 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #14 ↑3 1 too low 14 Backup, Restore and Migrate your sites with XCloner 10K+ · 4.2★ (129) wp.org #22 ↓1 8 too low 15 Uptime Monitoring for WordPress – My Website is Online 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 11 too high 16 ThinkRank SEO – AI SEO Plugin for SEO & Google Search Console 20K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #20 ↑2 4 too low 17 LukStack Uptime Monitor 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 ↑1 12 too high 18 WP-ServerInfo 10K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too high 19 System Dashboard 900+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too low 20 MyServerInfo – Memory Usage, PHP Version, Memory Limit, Execution Time, CPU Usage, Disk Usage 800+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 11 too high 21 Kadence Central – Site Management, Backups, Security, and Reporting 30K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 Management App for WooCommerce – Order notifications, Order management, Lead management, Uptime Monitoring 800+ · 4.0★ (9) wp.org #16 ↓2 6 too high 23 Check for Broken Links – Broken Link Checker & SEO Suite 1K+ · 4.0★ (6) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Gaming-Plus Game Server Status 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↑3 12 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.