wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “block http requests”

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 “block http requests”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 7 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

Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #2 1 too low 2

WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect 50K+ · 4.9★ (1146) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too low 3

HTTP Requests Manager 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #1 2 too high 4

Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint wp.org #3 1 too high 5

Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #12 ↑3 5 too low 8

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9

Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) heavy footprint wp.org #10 1 too low 10

TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #15 ↓7 5 too low 11

Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) heavy footprint wp.org #9 2 too high 12

Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) heavy footprint wp.org #7 ↓3 5 too high 13

BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security 100K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too low 14

Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #23 ↓2 9 too low 15

iQ Block Country 20K+ · 3.9★ (166) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too high 16

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #22 ↓3 6 too low 17

SimpLy Gallery 40K+ · 4.8★ (118) wp.org #24 7 too low 18

Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #6 ↑1 12 too high 19

Timeline Block – tell your story with elegant timelines 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #11 8 too high 20

Hyperlink Group Block 7K+ · 4.3★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21

Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too high 22

VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) host-installed base thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23

Carousel Block – Showcase Images in Elegant Sliding Displays 7K+ · 5.0★ (6) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24

Flexa Block – Blocks & Page Builder 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #20 4 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.