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

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 notes”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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

Sticky Notes for WP Dashboard shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1146 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.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #1 ↑3 2

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3

WP Dashboard Notes 20K+ · 4.6★ (110) wp.org #3 4

Print Invoice & Delivery Notes for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.4★ (140) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #2 2 too high 5

WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #5 ↑1 6

WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490) wp.org #7 1 too low 7

WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167) wp.org #6 ↑2 1 too high 8

WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1138) wp.org #11 ↑3 3 too low 9

WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect 50K+ · 4.9★ (1146) wp.org #19 ↑3 10 too low 10

Plugin Notes Plus 9K+ · 5.0★ (62) wp.org #10 ↑2 11

PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 2 too low 12

WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966) wp.org #22 ↓2 10 too low 13

WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring 90K+ · 4.8★ (81) wp.org #12 ↑3 1 too high 14

Peter's Post Notes – Admin Notes for Posts and Pages 3K+ · 4.9★ (26) wp.org #9 ↑2 5 too high 15

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint wp.org #15 16

Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #23 7 too low 17

WP-PageNavi 400K+ · 4.7★ (149) wp.org #17 ↓8 18

BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current wp.org #16 2 too high 19

WP Job Manager 70K+ · 4.4★ (237) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too low 20 W WP Photo Album Plus 10K+ · 4.7★ (199) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #14 6 too high 21

Sticky Notes for WP Dashboard 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #8 ↑2 13 too high 22

Index WP MySQL For Speed 50K+ · 4.8★ (99) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #18 4 too high 23

WP Migrate Lite – Migration Made Easy 200K+ · 4.2★ (318) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #24 ↓3 1 too low 24

User Notes 800+ · 4.8★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓3 3 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.