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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “simple database cleaner”

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

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

Buried gem

Orphans places #11 on merit, 5.0★ from 164 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library 90K+ · 4.6★ (779) wp.org #1 2 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #2 3 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too low 5 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #7 ↓2 2 too low 6 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #6 7 Transient Cleaner 1K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 Social Preview and Open Graph Tags 50K+ · 4.6★ (122) wp.org #12 ↓2 4 too low 9 WS Action Scheduler Cleaner 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #3 6 too high 10 Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (625) wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too low 11 Orphans 50K+ · 5.0★ (164) wp.org #21 ↓3 10 too low 12 Really Simple Featured Video for Posts, Pages & WooCommerce Products 4K+ · 4.0★ (34) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13 Registrations for the Events Calendar – Event Registration Plugin 7K+ · 5.0★ (103) wp.org #22 ↓2 9 too low 14 FastPixel Cache – Optimize Page Speed: Compress Images, Minify, Clean Database & CDN 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #16 ↓3 2 too low 15 MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Conditional Forms, Form Templates & Custom Form Builder for Elementor 500K+ · 4.7★ (509) wp.org #20 ↓3 5 too low 16 Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #10 6 too high 17 Delete All Products for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #24 ↓3 7 too low 18 DGN Webs Spam User Cleaner 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↓2 19 Duplicate and Auto Draft Cleaner 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓2 6 too high 20 Database Reset Pro – Clean & Reset WordPress Database 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 ↓4 3 too low 21 Simple Password Protect 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓2 10 too high 22 Fand Transient and Action Cleaner 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too high 23 ScanForge Database Security 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 Smart Bulk Delete & Content Cleaner for WordPress 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓4 5 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.