wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wordpress empty trash”
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 “wordpress empty trash”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Media Sweep – WordPress Media Cleaner shows at wp.org #6 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.8★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 1966 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #1 2 
WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (199)
wp.org #2 3 
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #3 4 
Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library 90K+ · 4.6★ (779)
wp.org #4 5 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6 
Event Booking Manager for WooCommerce – Sell Tickets, Event Registration, RSVP & Event Calendar 7K+ · 4.5★ (167)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
HTML Forms – Simple WordPress Forms Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (57)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Proxy Cache Purge 50K+ · 4.4★ (26)
wp.org #5 4 too high 10 
Live Composer – Free WordPress Website Builder 10K+ · 4.4★ (212)
wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #18 ↓5 7 too low 12 WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966)
wp.org #23 11 too low 13 
Autoremove Attachments 3K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too high 14 
weForms – Easy Drag & Drop Contact Form Builder For WordPress 10K+ · 4.5★ (111)
wp.org #21 ↑2 7 too low 15 Media Sweep – WordPress Media Cleaner 1K+ · 3.8★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #6 9 too high 16 
WP Webhooks – Automate repetitive tasks by creating powerful automation workflows directly within WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (55)
wp.org #22 ↑2 6 too low 17 
WPS Bidouille 9K+ · 4.9★ (54)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Branda – White Label & Branding, Free Login Page Customizer 10K+ · 4.5★ (30)
wp.org #19 ↓3 1 too low 19 
Import WP – CSV & XML Import Export for WordPress 4K+ · 4.4★ (25)
wp.org #17 ↑3 2 too high 20 
Delete product images for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #12 8 too high 21 
Disable Everything 30K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑3 6 too high 22 
VidShop – Shoppable Videos for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too high 23 T TGG – WP Optimizer 700+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 9 too high 24 
Unattached Media Manager 300+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑1 8 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.