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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “admin security”

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 “admin security”, 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

CloudSecure WP Security shows at wp.org #13 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 100K+ 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

Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 1489 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #1 2 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #2 3 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #3 4 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #4 ↑1 5 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too high 8 Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too high 9 Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #9 10 MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 100K+ · 4.4★ (559) wp.org #11 ↑4 1 too low 11 Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1489) wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too low 13 Security Ninja – WordPress Security & Firewall 7K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #15 ↑3 2 too low 14 Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490) wp.org #23 ↓3 8 too low 16 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #14 ↑3 2 too high 17 FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #10 ↑2 7 too high 18 Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (386) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #20 ↑1 21 Atlant Security 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too high 22 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #19 ↓6 3 too high 23 CloudSecure WP Security 100K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓3 10 too high 24 CMS ADMINS Security Check Report 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 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.