wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wp clear”
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 “wp clear”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 4 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
Clear Cache for Me shows at wp.org #8 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 40K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 29 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 1138 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.
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #1 2 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #2 ↑4 1 too high 4 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #4 5 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too high 7 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #7 ↑1 8 
WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312)
wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9 
Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053)
wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1138)
wp.org #15 5 too low 11 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #10 ↑9 1 too high 12 
WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490)
wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too low 13 
WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167)
wp.org #11 2 too high 14 C Clear Cache for Me 40K+ · 4.8★ (29)
wp.org #8 ↑1 6 too high 15 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↑2 3 too high 16 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #22 6 too low 17 
WP Rollback – Rollback Plugins and Themes 200K+ · 4.9★ (215)
wp.org #19 ↓3 2 too low 18 
WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring 90K+ · 4.8★ (81)
wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too high 19 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 
WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237)
wp.org #23 ↓2 3 too low 21 W WP Photo Album Plus 10K+ · 4.7★ (199) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 4 too high 22 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Clear Autoptimize Cache Automatically 4K+ · 4.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 5 too high 24 
Clear Cache Everywhere 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #20 4 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.