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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “update control”

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 “update control”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 4 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

Disable Updates – Selective Update Control shows at wp.org #4 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 14 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

Groups – Memberships and Access Control places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 382 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 U Update Control 4K+ · 4.4★ (17) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Disable All WordPress Updates 20K+ · 4.8★ (69) wp.org #3 4 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #7 ↑5 3 too low 5 Companion Auto Update 40K+ · 4.8★ (105) wp.org #5 ↓1 6 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 Content Control – The Ultimate Content Restriction Solution! Restrict Content, Create Conditional Blocks & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (575) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Groups – Memberships and Access Control 10K+ · 4.8★ (382) wp.org #22 ↓1 12 too low 11 Disable Updates – Updates Manager, Disable Automatic Updates, Disable All Updates 9K+ · 4.5★ (24) wp.org #6 ↑1 5 too high 12 PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143) wp.org #21 ↓3 9 too low 13 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #16 ↓4 3 too low 14 Min Max Control – Min Max Quantity & Step Control for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (79) wp.org #12 ↑6 2 too high 15 Search & Replace Everything – Quick and Easy Way to Find and Replace Text, Links 20K+ · 4.7★ (26) wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too low 16 Dynamic Front-End Heartbeat Control 1K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17 Mediavine Control Panel 10K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #13 ↓3 4 too high 18 Disable Updates – Selective Update Control 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 ↑1 14 too high 19 Widget Visibility Control 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Civic Cookie Control 2K+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too high 21 Order Status Control for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Auto Update Post Date 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↓2 11 too high 23 Ignore Or Disable Plugin Update 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too high 24 RSS Control 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 4 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.