wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “version switch”

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

Version Locker: Disable Updates, Rollback and Downgrade shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 100+ 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

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #11 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 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 signals wp.org

Version Info – Server Health Monitor, PHP & MySQL Version Display, Environment Indicators 10K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #1 2

Tax Switch for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (27) wp.org #2 3

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #5 2 too low 4

WP Downgrade | Specific Core Version 100K+ · 4.8★ (169) wp.org #4 5

Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6

All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7

Maintenance Switch 800+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #3 4 too high 8

WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9

Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too high 10

User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238) wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #20 9 too low 12

Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #21 ↓2 9 too low 13

WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #23 10 too low 14

Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354) wp.org #16 ↓4 2 too low 15

Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125) wp.org #24 ↓2 9 too low 16

hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #18 ↓2 2 too low 17

Specific Content For Mobile – Customize the mobile version without redirections 4K+ · 4.8★ (31) wp.org #17 18

Manage Notification E-mails 100K+ · 4.8★ (56) wp.org #22 ↓1 4 too low 19

Freesoul Switch Theme: load a different theme on specific pages 100+ · 4.7★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↑1 9 too high 20

The Off Switch (formerly WP Avoid Slow) 200+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #19 1 too high 21

Version Switcher 10+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↑1 9 too high 22

Version Locker: Disable Updates, Rollback and Downgrade 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #9 13 too high 23

RIS Version Switcher – Downgrade or Upgrade WP Versions Easily 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↑1 9 too high 24

Cryout Theme Switch 90+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↑3 9 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.