wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “static resources”
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 “static resources”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Remove Cookies From Static Resources shows at wp.org #4 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 100+ 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
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 3221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Simply Static – The Static Site Generator 30K+ · 4.5★ (195)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #5 3 too low 3 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #3 4 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #9 ↑1 5 too low 5 
WP Remove Query Strings From Static Resources 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #2 3 too high 6 
WP Performance Score Booster – Optimize Speed, Enable Cache & Page Preload 10K+ · 4.6★ (339)
wp.org #11 5 too low 7 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #13 6 too low 8 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262)
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too low 11 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #22 ↓2 11 too low 12 
Export WordPress Pages to Static HTML & PDF — Static Site Export 4K+ · 3.8★ (51)
wp.org #7 ↓1 5 too high 13 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #16 ↑5 3 too low 14 
10Web Booster – Website speed optimization, Cache & Page Speed optimizer 60K+ · 4.6★ (405)
wp.org #20 ↑2 6 too low 15 
Jetpack Boost – Website Speed, Performance and Critical CSS 200K+ · 4.7★ (612)
wp.org #21 ↓2 6 too low 16 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
Staatic – Static Site Generator for WordPress 3K+ · 4.4★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #8 9 too high 18 
Cache Enabler 100K+ · 4.3★ (139)
wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too high 19 
Easy HTTPS Redirection (SSL) 100K+ · 4.2★ (71)
wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too high 20 
NitroPack – Performance, Page Speed & Cache Plugin for Core Web Vitals, CDN & Image Optimization 80K+ · 4.3★ (311)
wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21 
SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) host-installed base
wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 Remove Cookies From Static Resources 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #4 18 too high 23 
Static Site Exporter 400+ · 3.5★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 
Static Porter 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↑1 18 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.