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

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 “updraft”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Exclude Image Thumbnails From UpdraftPlus Backups shows at wp.org #9 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 393 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #1 2 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #2 3 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #3 4 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #4 5 Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 Internal Link Juicer: SEO Auto Linker for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (537) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes 10K+ · 4.8★ (393) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 UpdraftCentral Dashboard 5K+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 WPGet API – Connect to any external REST API 10K+ · 5.0★ (32) wp.org #10 11 Two Factor Authentication 20K+ · 4.4★ (77) wp.org #11 12 U Upload Larger Plugins 6K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #12 13 European VAT Compliance Assistant for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #13 14 Exclude Image Thumbnails From UpdraftPlus Backups 4K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 T Testimonial Slider 3K+ · 4.2★ (69) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 U Use Administrator Password 800+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 Simba Plugin Updates Manager 30+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 SiteSkite – Secure MCP & AI WebOps. Connect ChatGPT, Claude, or Any AI Agent via MCP 200+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 N No Weak Passwords 400+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too low 20 A Add Email Signature 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Disable Admin WP Cron Notice For UpdraftPlus 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 H Haznox Cleaner for UpdraftPlus 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Migrator – Site Migration and Backup 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too high 24 D DE Hide UpdraftPlus Dashboard News 50+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.