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

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 “trac”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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.

W

Ranked above its merit

WH Tweaks shows at wp.org #4 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 90+ 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

WordPress Importer places #7 on merit, 3.1★ from 327 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Theme Check 20K+ · 4.8★ (195) wp.org #1 2 M Media Library Enable Infinite Scrolling 7K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #2 3 Host Header Injection Fix 400+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 AWeber – Free Sign Up Form and Landing Page Builder Plugin for Lead Generation and Email Newsletter Growth 8K+ · 2.6★ (25) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Simple Admin Language Change 10K+ · 4.7★ (22) wp.org #16 ↓1 11 too low 6 T Test Reports 10+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 WordPress Importer 2M+ · 3.1★ (327) wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too low 8 Disable Media Pages 10K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #20 12 too low 9 Advanced OSM for Toolset Maps 30+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Hash Link Scroll Offset 1K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #19 ↓1 9 too low 11 D Disable WebP By Default 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 WordPress Beta Tester 2K+ · 4.0★ (47) wp.org #21 9 too low 13 Peak Publisher 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 W WH Tweaks 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 10 too high 15 Index WP Users For Speed 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #22 ↓3 7 too low 16 Strict CSP 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Remove Broken Images 700+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #23 ↓1 6 too low 18 S Skip Updates — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 9 too high 19 MultiSyde — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 7 too high 20 D Disable Lazy Loading for IFRAMES 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓2 7 too high 21 oik 2K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Instant Back/Forward 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 AdminSanity 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 9 too high 24 Benchmark Email Lite 1K+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.