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

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 “shell”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

OPcache Reset shows at wp.org #10 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 500+ 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

Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall places #9 on merit, 4.5★ from 373 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (195) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 WPVulnerability 10K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #3 ↓2 4 WP Console – WordPress PHP Console powered by PsySH 20K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #4 5 NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 WP-DBManager 50K+ · 4.4★ (95) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Notification for Telegram 4K+ · 4.9★ (71) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 WPTerm 4K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 SQLite Object Cache 10K+ · 5.0★ (51) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Frontend Dashboard 500+ · 4.9★ (136) wp.org #17 ↓2 6 too low 12 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #13 ↑4 1 too low 13 WP-Ban 8K+ · 3.7★ (27) wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too high 14 Quttera ThreatSign – Web Malware Scanner for WordPress 10K+ · 3.9★ (47) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 WebTotem Security 700+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #20 ↑1 5 too low 16 Share a Draft 3K+ · 3.7★ (11) wp.org #18 ↓2 2 too low 17 Automatic Translator with Google Translate 2K+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too low 18 WP-DraftsForFriends 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 App for Cloudflare® 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Virusdie | One-click website security 2K+ · 4.0★ (9) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 OPcache Reset 500+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↓1 11 too high 22 PrettyCode • Code syntax highlighting with CodeMirror 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too high 23 ScanForge Database Security 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓3 7 too high 24 Apaczka.pl Mapa Punktów 2K+ · 3.0★ (3) wp.org #14 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.