wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “super admin”
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 “super admin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Super Testimonial – Testimonial & Customer Review Slider Plugin for WordPress shows at wp.org #11 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 26 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
The Events Calendar places #12 on merit, 4.2★ from 2461 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #1 2 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #2 3 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #3 4 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #4 5 
Super Progressive Web Apps 40K+ · 4.6★ (225)
wp.org #5 6 
View Admin As 9K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #6 7 
Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #13 6 too low 8 
Super Web Share – Native Social Sharing Button 2K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 
Super RSS Reader – Add attractive RSS Feed Widget 9K+ · 4.6★ (67)
wp.org #9 ↓1 10 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too high 11 
WP Super Minify • Minify, Compress and Cache HTML, CSS & JavaScript 8K+ · 4.1★ (73)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #20 ↑1 8 too low 13 
Controlled Admin Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
Hide Admin Bar from Non-Admins 10K+ · 4.3★ (30)
wp.org #12 2 too high 15 
Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869)
wp.org #23 ↓3 8 too low 16 Super Testimonial – Testimonial & Customer Review Slider Plugin for WordPress 2K+ · 4.7★ (26) not PHP-current
wp.org #11 5 too high 17 
Head & Footer Code 100K+ · 5.0★ (51)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Super block slider – Image/video background & content slider 8K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #15 3 too high 19 
Super Video player – Fully Customizable Video Player with Playlist 2K+ · 4.2★ (30) not PHP-current
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 
Super Simple Event Calendar 600+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #16 4 too high 21 
WPC Admin Columns 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #18 3 too high 22 
Super Preloader for Cloudflare 100+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23 
Clear All Cache for WP Super Cache 6K+ · 3.1★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too high 24 
Customize Admin 3K+ · 3.6★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #19 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.