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

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

VulnTitan – Malware Scanner, Vulnerability Scanner & Security shows at wp.org #10 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 90+ 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

Ultimate Auction for WooCommerce – Excellent WP Auction Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 125 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 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (391) wp.org #1 2 Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (783) wp.org #2 3 Jetpack – WP Security, Backup, Speed, & Growth 3M+ · 3.7★ (2407) wp.org #3 4 BulletProof Security 20K+ · 4.8★ (674) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Quttera ThreatSign – Web Malware Scanner for WordPress 10K+ · 3.9★ (47) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 NinjaScanner – Virus & Malware scan 30K+ · 4.0★ (36) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (372) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 SecuPress with Simple SSL – Simple and Performant Security 40K+ · 4.1★ (107) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 2K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too high 10 Jetpack VaultPress 10K+ · 3.8★ (72) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 Ultimate Auction for WooCommerce – Excellent WP Auction Plugin 2K+ · 4.7★ (125) wp.org #20 ↓1 9 too low 12 WebDefender Security – Protection & AntiSpam 1K+ · 4.0★ (18) wp.org #7 5 too high 13 Advanced IP Blocker 2K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14 JS Help Desk – AI-Powered Support & Ticketing System 7K+ · 3.7★ (74) wp.org #24 ↓1 10 too low 15 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 Protector – Malware Removal, Firewall & Core Repair 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 VulnTitan – Malware Scanner, Vulnerability Scanner & Security 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 Segurium – Free Malware Removal & Auto Cleanup for Hacked Websites, Antivirus Scanner, Vulnerability Alerts 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 DevDome Malware Scanner: Virus Scanner, Malware Removal & Quarantine 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 Security Ninja For MainWP 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too high 21 Data443 Anti-Spam — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 Anti Session Hijacking — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 Nexura Security — Malware Scanner, Firewall, 2FA & WordPress Security 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 FAPI Member 500+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓1 5 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.