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← Rankings

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

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 “blocker”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Easy IP Blocker shows at wp.org #9 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 400+ 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

Quads Ads Manager for Google AdSense places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1087 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) wp.org #4 ↑5 1 too low 4 IP2Location Country Blocker 30K+ · 4.1★ (128) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #6 ↑7 1 too low 6 Real Cookie Banner: GDPR & ePrivacy Cookie Consent 100K+ · 4.9★ (492) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too low 7 Proxy & VPN Blocker 1K+ · 3.8★ (33) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 IP Location Block 10K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #10 ↑5 2 too low 9 Quads Ads Manager for Google AdSense 20K+ · 4.9★ (1087) wp.org #24 ↓3 15 too low 10 PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #23 ↓4 13 too low 11 Ads.txt Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #20 9 too low 12 Advanced Country Blocker 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #8 ↓2 4 too high 13 Country Access Blocker 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 ↓2 6 too high 14 Analytics Spam Blocker 800+ · 3.9★ (14) wp.org #12 ↓4 2 too high 15 BitFire Security – Firewall, Malware Scanner, Bot Blocker, Login Protection 300+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 WorkflowDone Geo Blocker 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 ↓2 3 too high 17 Email and Domain Blocker for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↓3 18 Easy IP Blocker 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↓2 9 too high 19 Zaygl IP blocker and anti-DDoS 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓2 20 Registration Email Blocker 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 IP & Country Blocker Lite 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓3 6 too high 22 Invalid Traffic Blocker 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 ConsentOwl — Cookie Consent & Tracker Blocker 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 Geo Blocker – Control Site Access by Region and IP 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓4 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.