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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sortable columns”

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 “sortable columns”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20.

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

Slug Search and Admin Columns shows at wp.org #9 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 200+ 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

Post Views Counter places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 1236 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #7 6 too low 2 Admin Columns for ACF Fields 9K+ · 4.9★ (20) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Users Registration Date – Sortable Users Column 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 When Last Login 40K+ · 4.7★ (37) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Manage User Columns 1K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #1 4 too high 6 Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1236) wp.org #18 ↑5 12 too low 7 Reveal IDs 40K+ · 5.0★ (61) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #15 7 too low 9 Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #17 ↑4 8 too low 10 Admin Slug Column 5K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #10 ↑1 11 WP-PostRatings 20K+ · 4.4★ (178) wp.org #16 5 too low 12 Data Tables Generator by Supsystic – Excel-like, WooCommerce & Pricing Tables 10K+ · 4.7★ (497) wp.org #23 ↓1 11 too low 13 WP Last Login 10K+ · 3.8★ (26) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 Show modified Date in admin lists 6K+ · 4.9★ (32) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 WPC Admin Columns 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 11 too high 16 Sortable Word Count Reloaded 2K+ · 3.7★ (10) wp.org #5 11 too high 17 Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162) wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too low 18 Add Featured Image Column 3K+ · 4.9★ (13) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 Document Library Lite 4K+ · 4.1★ (12) wp.org #19 ↓2 20 Entryway – WP Login & Logout Redirect 6K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too low 21 Sortable Dashboard To-Do List 80+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 SMNTCS Image Dimensions 200+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Slug Search and Admin Columns 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 14 too high 24 Slugmatic – Sortable Slug Columns for Any Post Type 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓2 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.