Plugin Pulse
← Rankings

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

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 “url”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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.

B

Ranked above its merit

Basic URL ShortCodes shows at wp.org #5 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 4K+ 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

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 7507 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 Featured Image from URL (FIFU) 60K+ · 4.6★ (264) wp.org #1 2 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1318) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 URL Params 8K+ · 5.0★ (37) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 URL Shortify – Simple and Easy URL Shortener 10K+ · 4.7★ (167) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5011) wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6 Export All URLs 50K+ · 4.6★ (94) wp.org #6 ↑3 7 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7507) wp.org #15 8 too low 8 Remove Category URL – Remove 'category' base from category permalinks 40K+ · 4.2★ (59) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 Go Live Update Urls 90K+ · 4.5★ (59) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Export Media URLs 7K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 WP Custom Author URL 5K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too high 12 Featured Image with URL 2K+ · 4.9★ (9) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 Coupons & Add to Cart by URL Links for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 B Basic URL ShortCodes 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 9 too high 15 Admin login URL Change 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Advance Canonical URL 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Bitly URL Shortener 500+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #17 18 Show Pages URL List 1K+ · 4.4★ (8) wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too low 19 Bing URL Submissions Plugin 40K+ · 3.3★ (21) wp.org #22 ↓1 3 too low 20 Remove Taxonomy URL 1K+ · 4.2★ (6) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Remove Website URL Field From Comment Form 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Redirect 404 to Home Page – Custom URL 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 URL Image Importer – Import External Images to the Media Library from URL, CSV & XML 900+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 U URL Replace 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24

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.