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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “allow directive”

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 “allow directive”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 6 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

Htaccess by BestWebSoft – WordPress Website Access Control Plugin shows at wp.org #1 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Termly – GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner places #11 on merit, 3.6★ from 204 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Real Cookie Banner: GDPR & ePrivacy Cookie Consent 100K+ · 4.9★ (492) wp.org #2 ↑2 1 too low 2 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 GDPR Cookie Compliance – Cookie Banner, Cookie Consent, Cookie Notice for CCPA, EU Cookie Law 300K+ · 4.6★ (205) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Appointment Hour Booking – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (524) wp.org #11 ↑2 7 too low 5 Omnibus — show the lowest price 10K+ · 4.1★ (51) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496) wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too low 7 Easy HTTPS Redirection (SSL) 100K+ · 4.2★ (71) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 WC Price History 5K+ · 5.0★ (27) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Nginx Helper 200K+ · 4.4★ (31) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 EU Withdrawal and Legal Guarantee Compliance 1K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too low 11 Termly – GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 80K+ · 3.6★ (204) wp.org #20 ↓1 9 too low 12 Htaccess by BestWebSoft – WordPress Website Access Control Plugin 400+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #1 11 too high 13 IndexNow Plugin 100K+ · 3.2★ (47) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 CP Media Player – Audio Player and Video Player 3K+ · 4.4★ (46) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 WebToffee EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #10 6 too high 17 Withdrawal Button – Easy Return 400+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #22 ↓1 5 too low 18 Bulk NoIndex & NoFollow Toolkit 2K+ · 4.3★ (9) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 Free Cookie Notice & Consent Banner for Privacy Compliance (GDPR, CCPA, DSGVO and others) 7K+ · 4.0★ (16) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Easy PHP Settings 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too high 21 AI Content Signals 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Flexible Refund for WooCommerce – EU One Click Return 2K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Spotrebiteľské práva pre WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 CCM19 Integration 5K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 8 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.