wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “block wp admin”
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 wp admin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
IP Location Block shows at wp.org #10 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 35 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 1138 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #3 ↑2 4 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #4 5 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708)
wp.org #5 6 
WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #8 ↑10 9 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too low 10 WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1138)
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #9 ↑2 2 too high 12 
WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68)
wp.org #12 ↓2 13 
WP Mail Logging 300K+ · 4.7★ (375)
wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too low 14 
Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (59)
wp.org #13 1 too high 15 
Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108)
wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 IP Location Block 10K+ · 4.5★ (35)
wp.org #10 ↓2 6 too high 17 
Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367)
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
WP Custom Admin Interface 30K+ · 4.7★ (160) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓3 4 too high 20 
WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring 90K+ · 4.8★ (81)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
WP-Polls 40K+ · 4.2★ (136)
wp.org #24 ↓2 3 too low 22 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 24 
All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35)
wp.org #22 2 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.