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

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 “apache”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 2 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

Apache Status & Info shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 90+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Prime Mover – Backup and Migration places #12 on merit, 5.0★ from 141 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #1 2 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #2 3 WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #3 4 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #11 ↑9 3 too low 9 EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842) wp.org #15 ↓2 6 too low 10 NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too low 11 WPVulnerability 10K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 Prime Mover – Backup and Migration 10K+ · 5.0★ (141) wp.org #21 ↓2 9 too low 13 BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security 100K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #22 ↑1 9 too low 14 Leverage Browser Caching 9K+ · 4.1★ (42) wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15 XO Security 30K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 PDF Viewer Block for Gutenberg 10K+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too high 17 SiteGuard WP Plugin 600K+ · 4.3★ (15) wp.org #5 ↓1 12 too high 18 Simple Download Counter 2K+ · 4.9★ (19) wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 Protect Uploads 30K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #19 ↓2 20 Block wp-login 600+ · 4.7★ (9) wp.org #20 21 Apache Status & Info 90+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 ↓1 14 too high 22 Customify 10K+ · 3.8★ (9) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too high 23 All In One Redirection 1K+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #24 ↓3 1 too low 24 PDF viewer for Elementor & Gutenberg 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 6 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.