wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ai captcha”
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 “ai captcha”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 3 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
AxiaChat AI – Free AI Chatbot (Answers Customers Automatically) shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 12 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Under Construction places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 1285 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.
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #1 2 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 4K+ · 4.8★ (50)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
SilentShield – Captcha & Anti-Spam for WordPress (CF7, WPForms, Elementor, WooCommerce) 10K+ · 4.7★ (24) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #2 4 too high 7 
oopspam Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for WordPress Forms & Comments (No CAPTCHA) 6K+ · 4.9★ (51)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
Everest Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form, Quiz, Survey & Custom Form Builder with AI 90K+ · 4.9★ (375) heavy footprint
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Under Construction 600K+ · 4.8★ (1285)
wp.org #14 5 too low 10 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 
Spam Protection | Maspik 30K+ · 4.7★ (87)
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
301 Redirects – Redirect Manager 300K+ · 4.7★ (578)
wp.org #16 3 too low 14 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #17 3 too low 15 
SupportCandy – AI Customer Support Ticket System & Live Chatbot Agent 10K+ · 4.9★ (289)
wp.org #19 4 too low 16 
Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121)
wp.org #18 2 too low 17 AxiaChat AI – Free AI Chatbot (Answers Customers Automatically) 500+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #8 9 too high 18 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (107)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
Gravity Forms Zero Spam 100K+ · 4.3★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #15 5 too high 21 
CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ · 3.8★ (135) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 8 too high 22 
JS Help Desk – AI-Powered Support & Ticketing System 7K+ · 3.7★ (74)
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
Web Directory plugin Free – AI powered 300+ · 4.1★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #21 2 too high 24 
BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 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.