wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “upload folder”
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 “upload folder”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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 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
Upload SVG shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ 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
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #11 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #1 2 
Drag and Drop Multiple File Upload for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (94)
wp.org #2 3 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #5 ↑3 2 too low 4 
Iptanus File Upload 10K+ · 4.4★ (117)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
FileBird – WordPress Media Library Folders & File Manager 200K+ · 4.7★ (1125)
wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6 
EasyMedia – Increase Media Upload File Size | Role-Based Upload Limit | Increase Execution Time 70K+ · 4.9★ (99)
wp.org #6 ↓2 7 C Custom Upload Dir 5K+ · 4.4★ (25)
wp.org #3 4 too high 8 
Media Library Folders 10K+ · 4.3★ (465)
wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9 
Real Media Library: Media Library Folder & File Manager 100K+ · 4.8★ (297) not PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓8 2 too low 10 
Big File Uploads – Increase Maximum File Upload Size 100K+ · 4.9★ (403)
wp.org #17 ↓1 7 too low 11 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #19 ↑3 8 too low 12 
File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492)
wp.org #18 ↓3 6 too low 13 
Organize Media Folder 2K+ · 4.1★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 6 too high 14 
Inline Image Upload for BBPress 3K+ · 4.6★ (65)
wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 
Media Library Organizer – Folders, File Manager & Media Categories 20K+ · 4.7★ (150) not PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↓3 5 too low 16 
Checkout Files Upload for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.4★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #9 7 too high 17 
Wicked Folders – Folder Organizer for Pages, Posts, and Custom Post Types 20K+ · 4.9★ (56)
wp.org #21 ↓3 4 too low 18 
Drag and Drop Multiple File Upload for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓3 5 too high 19 
WP Original Media Path 5K+ · 4.9★ (38)
wp.org #22 ↓3 3 too low 20 
Protect Uploads 30K+ · 4.8★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓2 6 too high 21 
File Upload For WPForms – Filenzo 1K+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #23 ↓2 2 too low 22 
CatFolders – WordPress Media Library Folders & Categories 6K+ · 4.3★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓4 2 too low 23 
Rename Plugins Folder 300+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓3 7 too high 24 Upload SVG 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #12 12 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.