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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “super cache”

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 cache”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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 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

Clear All Cache for WP Super Cache shows at wp.org #4 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.1★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Hummingbird Performance – Cache & Page Speed Optimization for Core Web Vitals | Critical CSS | Minify CSS | Defer CSS Javascript | CDN places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 1488 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 WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #1 2 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #2 3 Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #3 4 Super Progressive Web Apps 40K+ · 4.6★ (225) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #6 ↑5 1 too low 6 C Clear Cache for Me 40K+ · 4.8★ (29) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Under Construction 600K+ · 4.8★ (1285) wp.org #12 ↓3 5 too low 8 SQLite Object Cache 10K+ · 5.0★ (51) wp.org #8 ↓1 9 WP Super Minify • Minify, Compress and Cache HTML, CSS & JavaScript 8K+ · 4.1★ (73) wp.org #9 ↓1 10 Hummingbird Performance – Cache & Page Speed Optimization for Core Web Vitals | Critical CSS | Minify CSS | Defer CSS Javascript | CDN 70K+ · 4.7★ (1488) wp.org #23 13 too low 11 Site Reviews 60K+ · 4.9★ (376) wp.org #20 ↓2 9 too low 12 Slim Maintenance Mode 10K+ · 5.0★ (63) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 Super RSS Reader – Add attractive RSS Feed Widget 9K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 atec Cache APCu 3K+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too high 15 Clear All Cache for WP Super Cache 6K+ · 3.1★ (11) wp.org #4 11 too high 16 WP Meteor Website Speed Optimization Addon 20K+ · 4.7★ (77) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 S Super Light Cache Buster 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #17 18 Super Advent Calendar 300+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 The Cache Purger 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Super Preloader for Cloudflare 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 P Preload Fullpage Cache 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 No Cache AJAX Widgets 200+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #22 23 ABCode Cache Warmer 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑2 5 too high 24 Clear Cache Everywhere 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 11 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.