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

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 “ssh”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 3 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

FlyWP Helper – Page Cache, Page Optimization, Emails for FlyWP Server Control Panel shows at wp.org #9 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Malcure Malware Shield — Removal, Repair, Monitor places #8 on merit, 4.4★ from 73 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 S SSH SFTP Updater Support 10K+ · 4.8★ (99) wp.org #1 2 Media Cleaner: Clean your WordPress! 90K+ · 4.6★ (775) wp.org #2 3 WPVibe – WordPress MCP Server. Connect Claude, ChatGPT & Any AI Agent via MCP 40K+ · 5.0★ (68) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WP Encryption – One Click SSL / HTTPS & Free SSL Certificate, HTTPS Redirect, Security 50K+ · 4.9★ (1144) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 SpinupWP 30K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Code Block Pro – Beautiful Syntax Highlighting 10K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration 40K+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 Malcure Malware Shield — Removal, Repair, Monitor 10K+ · 4.4★ (73) wp.org #16 8 too low 9 Version Info – Server Health Monitor, PHP & MySQL Version Display, Environment Indicators 10K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Migrate to WordPress.com 2K+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 Add From Server Reloaded 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Init Live Search – AI-Powered, Related Posts, Slash Commands 100+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Bubuku Media Library 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 FlyWP Helper – Page Cache, Page Optimization, Emails for FlyWP Server Control Panel 4K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 External files in Media Library 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 SwiftSearch for Typesense 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 Scry Search: Meilisearch for WordPress 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too low 18 Formipay – Donations & Instant Payment Forms (Paystack, Flutterwave & More) 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 Cowboy MCP – Free MCP Server with Undo for Claude & ChatGPT 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too high 20 ABCode Database Exporter 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 ThemePackager 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Ask My Content – AI Search Chatbot 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Zealot Bulk Image Assign by SKU for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 24 WP DevOps Dashboard 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 3 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.