Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “address verification”

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 “address verification”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Make Disable Admin Email Verification Prompt shows at wp.org #7 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 2K+ 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

Widgets for Google Reviews places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 2667 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 wp.org
1 Customer Email Verification for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.8★ (47) wp.org #1 2 miniOrange OTP Login, Verification and SMS Notifications 5K+ · 4.7★ (439) wp.org #2 3 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too low 4 Autocomplete Google Address 2K+ · 4.0★ (25) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #10 ↑3 5 too low 6 Address Book for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #19 12 too low 8 ELEX WooCommerce Address Validation & Google Address Autocomplete Plugin 700+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #20 11 too low 10 Customer Email Verification for WooCommerce – OTP Verification, Block Fake Signups 2K+ · 4.2★ (20) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 Campos Checkout Brasileiro para WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (45) wp.org #11 ↑3 12 hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #21 ↓2 9 too low 13 OTP Login With Phone Number, OTP Verification 1K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #16 ↓6 3 too low 14 Identity Verification for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #13 ↑2 1 too high 15 Double Opt-In for Contact Form 7 – Secure, GDPR-Compliant Email Verification 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #22 7 too low 16 Blacklist Manager – WooCommerce Anti-Fraud, Blacklist & Checkout Verification 2K+ · 3.6★ (14) wp.org #14 ↓2 2 too high 17 Multiple Shipping And Billing Address For WooCommerce 200+ · 4.7★ (7) wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too high 18 Address Validation and Autocomplete for WooCommerce | Addressfinder 900+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 ZeroBounce Email Verification & Validation 900+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Make Disable Admin Email Verification Prompt 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↑2 13 too high 21 Clearout Email Validator – Real-Time Email Verification on WordPress Forms 500+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 Postcode.eu Address Validation 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↑2 13 too high 23 WooCommerce Shipping 70K+ · 2.0★ (18) wp.org #12 ↓4 11 too high 24 Gravity Forms – OTP Verification (SMS/EMAIL) 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 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.