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

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 vpn”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Fense Block Vpn & Proxy shows at wp.org #2 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 70+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 1489 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Proxy & VPN Blocker 1K+ · 3.8★ (33) wp.org #1 2 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 oopspam Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for WordPress Forms & Comments (No CAPTCHA) 6K+ · 4.9★ (51) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Spam Protection | Maspik 30K+ · 4.7★ (87) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1489) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 VPN Guard – Block VPN, Proxy, Bots & Anonymous Visitors 200+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 FAZ Cookie Manager 3K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 IP2Location Country Blocker 30K+ · 4.1★ (128) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 Country Block – Ultimate Geo-Blocker, IP Ban & Login Security 100+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Geo Controller – Geolocation & Geotargeting 1K+ · 4.4★ (31) wp.org #22 ↓1 12 too low 11 Blacklist Manager – WooCommerce Anti-Fraud, Blacklist & Checkout Verification 2K+ · 3.6★ (14) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 Fense Block Vpn & Proxy 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 10 too high 13 SweepWidget – Giveaway, Contest, Sweepstakes, Competition & Photo Contest Plugin 100+ · 4.3★ (14) wp.org #21 ↓1 8 too low 14 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #16 ↓4 2 too low 15 Cloud Maestro – WAF Security Suite for Cloudflare 70+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too high 16 Atlant Security 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #23 7 too low 17 Geo Targetly Geo Block 20+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too high 18 Wonderful Geoblocking Countries 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↑1 9 too high 19 Affiliate Reviews 300+ · 3.3★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓1 20 CAPI Suite: Meta Pixel, Pinterest & TikTok for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓2 4 too low 21 IP Address Approval 100+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too high 22 Invalid Traffic Blocker 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 Honeypot Guard – Silent Anti-Spam 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 Access Defender – Advanced VPN & Proxy Blocker 40+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 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.