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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “anti hack”

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 “anti hack”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Nexura Security — Malware Scanner, Firewall, 2FA & WordPress Security shows at wp.org #10 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Two Factor Authentication places #4 on merit, 4.4★ from 77 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (783) wp.org #1 2 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 SecuPress with Simple SSL – Simple and Performant Security 40K+ · 4.1★ (106) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 Two Factor Authentication 20K+ · 4.4★ (77) wp.org #13 ↑1 9 too low 5 WebDefender Security – Protection & AntiSpam 1K+ · 4.0★ (18) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 2-Step Verification by BestWebSoft – WordPress Anti-spam and Anti Hacker Plugin 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 ↑1 4 too high 7 Pinny’s Simple SMTP – Lightweight SMTP Mailer 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 Segurium – Free Malware Removal & Auto Cleanup for Hacked Websites, Antivirus Scanner, Vulnerability Alerts 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 User Registration Aide 100+ · 3.3★ (20) wp.org #17 ↑1 8 too low 10 Anti-Captcha (anti-spam botblocker) 1K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too low 11 NoHackMe Defender 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↑1 4 too high 12 AbyssGuard — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↑3 4 too high 13 Yuga AntiMalware — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too high 14 Admin Login Guard & Branding 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too high 15 Nexura Security — Malware Scanner, Firewall, 2FA & WordPress Security 20+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 Anti Hacker Redirect 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too high 17 Guard 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too low 18 CellarWeb Privacy and Security Options 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too high 19 W WP-Sentinel 60+ · 2.6★ (5) wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too low 20 F Foresight — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too low 21 W WP Smart Security 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑1 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.