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

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 monitor”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Auto Update Post Date shows at wp.org #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 1720 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Query Monitor 200K+ · 4.9★ (470) wp.org #3 4 Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158) wp.org #4 5 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 Modular DS: Monitor, update, and backup multiple websites 40K+ · 5.0★ (133) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74) wp.org #7 ↑3 1 too high 9 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #11 ↑3 2 too low 10 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #15 5 too low 11 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #20 9 too low 12 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too low 13 Melapress File Monitor 5K+ · 4.1★ (32) wp.org #10 ↓2 3 too high 14 Search & Replace Everything – Quick and Easy Way to Find and Replace Text, Links 20K+ · 4.7★ (26) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 Connect Contact Form 7 to Mailchimp, Brevo, MailerLite, Klaviyo, GetResponse, EmailOctopus, Campaign Monitor & Moosend 40K+ · 4.3★ (190) wp.org #22 7 too low 16 WP Updates Notifier 20K+ · 4.2★ (35) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring 90K+ · 4.8★ (81) wp.org #24 ↓2 7 too low 18 Malcure Malware Shield — Removal, Repair, Monitor 10K+ · 4.4★ (74) wp.org #21 ↓2 3 too low 19 Traffic Monitor 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 ↓1 7 too high 20 SEO Backlink Monitor 700+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #16 ↓3 4 too high 21 Auto Update Post Date 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 12 too high 22 Campaign Monitor for WordPress 2K+ · 1.7★ (40) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 Campaign Monitor Forms by Optin Cat 200+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #23 ↓2 24 Hungry Resource Monitor 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓1 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.