wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wp edit”
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 edit”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
WP Edit Username shows at wp.org #4 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 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 #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 1966 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 ↑3 3 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #3 4 
WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312)
wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5 
WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167)
wp.org #6 ↑4 1 too low 6 
WP Reset 300K+ · 4.8★ (1014)
wp.org #10 ↑4 4 too low 7 
WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490)
wp.org #9 ↓5 2 too low 8 
PW WooCommerce Bulk Edit 20K+ · 4.9★ (238) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑2 1 too high 9 
WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1138)
wp.org #15 ↑2 6 too low 10 WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966)
wp.org #19 9 too low 11 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #13 ↑5 2 too low 12 
SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267)
wp.org #20 8 too low 13 
Gravity Forms – Edit Entries 2K+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↑12 5 too high 14 
WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237)
wp.org #16 ↑6 2 too low 15 
Bulk Edit Products for WooCommerce – WP Sheet Editor 10K+ · 4.9★ (228) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↑3 3 too high 16 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↑2 2 too high 17 WP Edit Username 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↑2 13 too high 18 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) not PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓11 5 too low 20 
WP Chat App 100K+ · 4.9★ (222)
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 
WP-Polls 40K+ · 4.2★ (136)
wp.org #18 ↑6 3 too high 22 
Bulky – Bulk Edit Products for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (53) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↑4 5 too high 23 
Edit Flow 4K+ · 4.2★ (50)
wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too high 24 
Astra Bulk Edit 30K+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑1 13 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.