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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wp env”

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 env”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 Global Site Tag shows at wp.org #5 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 7K+ 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

Fast Velocity Minify places #9 on merit, 4.6★ from 195 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Waymark 900+ · 5.0★ (54) wp.org #1 2 WP EXtra – One Click Optimize 6K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #2 3 WP Console – WordPress PHP Console powered by PsySH 20K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #3 4 WP Updates Notifier 20K+ · 4.2★ (35) wp.org #4 5 WPGraphQL 30K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Bootstrap Blocks 10K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too low 8 404 Solution 10K+ · 4.9★ (44) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 Fast Velocity Minify 30K+ · 4.6★ (195) wp.org #22 13 too low 10 M MW WP Form 200K+ · 4.2★ (23) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too low 12 CodeColorer 1K+ · 4.9★ (11) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 Merge + Minify + Refresh 3K+ · 4.2★ (68) wp.org #18 5 too low 14 WP Post Series 600+ · 4.7★ (9) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 Cowboy MCP – Free MCP Server with Undo for Claude & ChatGPT 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 WP Global Site Tag 7K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 11 too high 17 Atlant Security 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 Simple SMTP 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #24 ↓1 6 too low 19 Responsive Navigation Block 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 C3 Cloudfront Cache Controller 3K+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Content Area Block 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 REST API blocks 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 Profound Agent Analytics 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓1 24 Substack Importer 1K+ · 2.8★ (4) wp.org #17 7 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.