Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “adblocker”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 5 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

Usermaven shows at wp.org #6 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

AdRotate Banner Manager places #8 on merit, 4.3★ from 655 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too low 2 Cookie Bar 10K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #2 3 Detect Missing Adblocker 50+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) wp.org #14 ↓12 10 too low 5 CHP Ads Block Detector 800+ · 4.0★ (25) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 Admiral Adblock Analytics 300+ · 3.5★ (12) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 Ad Widget for WordPress 2K+ · 4.3★ (16) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 AdRotate Banner Manager 20K+ · 4.3★ (655) wp.org #21 13 too low 9 ZDN Adblock Detector 100+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too high 10 Eazy Ad Unblocker 100+ · 4.0★ (11) wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too low 11 Swifty Image Widget 900+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #16 5 too low 12 Usermaven 900+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 ↑1 6 too high 13 Gotham Block Extra Light 30+ · 3.2★ (11) wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too high 14 Unnotifier — disable admin notices individually 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too high 15 Tagging 500+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too high 16 S2S Conversions — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too high 17 DH – Rename Uploaded Files — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too high 18 Revenue Shield — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 19 CaphLabs – Advanced Ad Blocker Fence — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 20 Clear Logout 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 AdScout Integration 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 Unblock Adblocker 20+ · 2.8★ (4) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Siteimprove 800+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Integration for CF7 Pardot Form Handlers 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.