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

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 “wpo”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 2 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.

A

Ranked above its merit

Auto Image Title & Alt shows at wp.org #7 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 400+ 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

Machete places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 52 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #1 2 DietPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #2 3 WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) 10K+ · 4.9★ (154) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WPO365 | MICROSOFT 365 GRAPH MAILER 10K+ · 5.0★ (40) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 Object Cache 4 everyone 5K+ · 4.2★ (30) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 NGG Smart Image Search 400+ · 4.9★ (13) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Machete 6K+ · 5.0★ (52) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 Anti-Cache Kit 10+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #9 10 Nelio Popups 400+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #17 ↑1 7 too low 11 CommerceBird – AI Support & Sales Agents, Helpdesk and B2B for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #18 ↓1 7 too low 12 CL WP Info 90+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Mustang WPO – See Your Performance Clearly — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 A Auto Image Title & Alt 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 Easy Symlinks 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 Genaro Maintenance Web Report — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 5 too high 17 Sysadmin Total Suite — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 Loadwright — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 BF WPO Dequeuer 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 W WPO Checker 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 OpenPOS Lite – Point of Sale for WooCommerce 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 GST Report for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 G GF Stripe Extensions 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 AutoTweaks 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24

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.