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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “webp express”

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 “webp express”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 2 plugins are 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

Accepted Payment Methods shows at wp.org #10 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 100+ 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

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #6 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 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 wp.org
1 WebP Express 300K+ · 4.4★ (162) wp.org #1 2 ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF 300K+ · 4.5★ (830) wp.org #2 3 a3 Lazy Load 80K+ · 4.3★ (148) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Freesoul Deactivate Plugins – Disable plugins on individual WordPress pages 8K+ · 4.8★ (104) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Squeeze – Browser-Based Image Compression & WebP Converter (No API, No Limits) 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526) wp.org #20 14 too low 7 UiChemy – Convert Figma, Prompts and AI Builds to Elementor, Gutenberg and Bricks 8K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #7 8 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #19 11 too low 9 PeproDev Receipt Uploader for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 Flying Images: Optimize and Lazy Load Images for Faster Page Speed 2K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Avif Express 300+ · 3.8★ (9) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 FluentCommunity – Ultra-Fast High-Performance Social Network, Community, LMS & Online Courses 8K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too low 13 Dynamic Product Gallery for WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.1★ (37) wp.org #13 14 AI Chatbot Free Models – Customer Support, Live Chat, Virtual Assistant 100+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #18 4 too low 15 Helper Lite for PageSpeed 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #24 ↓2 9 too low 16 PixMagix – WordPress Image Editor 200+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 Accepted Payment Methods 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 AIO Tools (All in One Tools) 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 SanBar EXPress IMG Tuner for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 WebP Express Plus 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too high 21 NDV Product Image Upload for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 22 NimboCDN – Image Optimization & Image CDN | Convert WebP & AVIF — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 SUDS Planner — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 CrushEdge Orphaned Upload Cleaner — · 0.0★ (0) 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.