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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sql queries”

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

Black Bar shows at wp.org #11 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 2617 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 BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security 100K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #1 2 WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #2 3 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #4 5 Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 WP-DBManager 50K+ · 4.4★ (95) wp.org #6 7 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 SQL Chart Builder 500+ · 3.9★ (22) wp.org #3 6 too high 10 FluentSnippets – High-Performance Code Snippets, Header & Footer Code, Custom CSS & PHP Code Manager 50K+ · 4.7★ (78) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 ACF: Better Search 40K+ · 4.9★ (165) wp.org #19 ↓1 8 too low 12 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #23 11 too low 13 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 Delete Expired Transients 4K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #8 ↓1 6 too high 15 Index WP MySQL For Speed 50K+ · 4.8★ (99) wp.org #15 16 WP Remote Users Sync 6K+ · 4.9★ (73) wp.org #16 17 SQL Buddy – Database Management Made Easy 5K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 Beautiful taxonomy filters 2K+ · 4.9★ (68) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Black Bar 500+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #11 8 too high 20 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #22 ↓2 2 too low 21 Custom API for WP 1K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too high 22 Graphina – Charts and Graphs For Elementor 9K+ · 4.1★ (16) wp.org #14 8 too high 23 DebugPress: Debugger in Popup 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 SweepPress: Website Cleanup and Optimization 500+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #17 ↓1 7 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.