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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “antivirus”

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 “antivirus”, we and wp.org disagree 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

AMWScan Antimalware Scanner Lite shows at wp.org #12 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its — 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

Mongoose Page Plugin places #9 on merit, 4.6★ from 64 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. 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 #2 1 too low 2 AntiVirus 30K+ · 4.1★ (23) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #3 4 Malcure Malware Shield — Removal, Repair, Monitor 10K+ · 4.4★ (73) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 WebDefender Security – Protection & AntiSpam 1K+ · 4.0★ (18) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 NinjaScanner – Virus & Malware scan 30K+ · 4.0★ (36) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (149) wp.org #18 11 too low 8 Virusdie | One-click website security 2K+ · 4.0★ (9) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Mongoose Page Plugin 10K+ · 4.6★ (64) wp.org #23 14 too low 10 WebTotem Security 800+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Segurium – Free Malware Removal & Auto Cleanup for Hacked Websites, Antivirus Scanner, Vulnerability Alerts 60+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 WPC Force Sells for WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 Cost Calculator for Contact Form 7 – Price Calculator Free 6K+ · 3.8★ (15) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 Kama Click Counter 800+ · 3.9★ (9) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 Kinguin API for WooCommerce 100+ · 2.7★ (7) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 Sentryvine — Antivirus & Anti-Phishing Security — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 5 too high 17 D Detectant Malware Scanner — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too high 18 Yuga AntiMalware — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 PCrisk Trust Badge – Website Security Seal & Malware Scanner — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too low 20 Scudo Security — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 AMWScan Antimalware Scanner Lite — · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↑2 9 too high 22 Buildora – PC Builder for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 Nexura Security — Malware Scanner, Firewall, 2FA & WordPress Security 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too high 24 Wieczo's Virus Scanner 10+ · 0.0★ (0) 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.