Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “variable dump”

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 “variable dump”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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.

Ranked above its merit

Wonderful SMTP Mailer and Log shows at wp.org #10 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 30+ 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

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 8706 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Console – WordPress PHP Console powered by PsySH 20K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Variable Inspector 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 UiChemy – Convert Figma, Prompts and AI Builds to Elementor, Gutenberg and Bricks 8K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Import WP – CSV & XML Import Export for WordPress 4K+ · 4.4★ (25) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 WP Updates Notifier 20K+ · 4.2★ (35) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #16 10 too low 7 ATUM WooCommerce Inventory Management and Stock Tracking 10K+ · 4.7★ (128) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 Ray 400+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Split Pay – Stripe Connect Split Payments & Multi-Vendor Marketplace for WooCommerce & FluentCart 100+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #9 ↓2 10 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #19 ↓4 9 too low 11 F Featured Image Thumbnail Grid 300+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too low 12 Smalk AI Analytics 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 ↓4 1 too low 13 RVS Database Doctor 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 GoWakit OTP Authentication & Notifications for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓3 3 too low 15 DiviOps Agent 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too high 16 Scrutoscope – WordPress Performance Profiler 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too high 17 Wonderful SMTP Mailer and Log 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↓2 7 too high 18 CU Debug Tool by CodeUnion 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too high 19 Nova Scan Lite – Malware Scanner, Backdoor & File Integrity — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too low 20 EffortLess Backup And Restore — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓3 1 too low 21 SWPanel Migrator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓3 1 too low 22 B Bin Tracker Online — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 SiteHale 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓2 5 too high 24 RP Debug Log Viewer — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓4

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.