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← Rankings

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

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 “wpdb”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Digi Eye Redirects shows at wp.org #7 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Beautiful taxonomy filters places #3 on merit, 4.9★ from 68 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #1 2 S SQLite Database Integration 5K+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #2 3 Beautiful taxonomy filters 2K+ · 4.9★ (68) wp.org #10 ↑1 7 too low 4 atec Database 90+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Static Site Exporter 400+ · 3.5★ (12) wp.org #5 6 EZ SQL Reports Shortcode Widget and DB Backup 500+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #11 ↑1 5 too low 7 Preserve Code Formatting 400+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Hagakure – Yet Another Error Reporter 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 AutoCEP 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #18 ↓2 9 too low 10 AI Support Assistant 30+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↑9 3 too low 11 D DS FAQ Plus 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 7 too high 12 W WPPerformanceTester 1K+ · 4.3★ (8) wp.org #23 ↓2 11 too low 13 ALD Login Page 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too high 14 Some Plus Report Post 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓1 5 too low 15 Digi Eye Redirects 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 8 too high 16 Aparimitlabs Database Metrics 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 JT Media Folders 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓3 5 too high 18 R RSS Feed Checker 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too high 19 Adriano GEO Context and Crawl Monitor 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 NoticePulse — Notification Bar, Announcement Bar & Cookie Notice 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too high 21 ExpressPay Payment Module 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓2 22 SmartPro Database Optimiser & Cleaner 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓2 5 too high 23 LazyLink — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too high 24 Employee Verification & Document Authentication 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.