Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “botnet”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Nexura Security — Malware Scanner, Firewall, 2FA & WordPress Security shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 397 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Jetpack Protect 100K+ · 4.6★ (123) wp.org #1 2 Login IP & Country Restriction 8K+ · 4.6★ (52) wp.org #2 3 Disable XML-RPC-API 100K+ · 4.2★ (43) wp.org #3 4 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #4 ↑1 5 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #17 ↓3 11 too low 7 Simple Disable XML-RPC 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Rublon Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) 400+ · 4.2★ (88) wp.org #18 ↓2 10 too low 9 SecureFusion – Security and Firewall by Fyndsoft 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Frontend Dashboard Captcha 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 ↑1 5 too high 11 Login Delay Shield 70+ · 4.4★ (5) wp.org #23 ↓3 12 too low 12 Wallet Up Login Customizer 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 Ropeline – Limit Login Attempts & Brute Force Protection — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 SyGy Security Log & Anti-Bot — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 BruteGuard – Brute Force Login Protection 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓4 4 too low 16 Nahnu Login Shield 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Nexura Security — Malware Scanner, Firewall, 2FA & WordPress Security 10+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #8 ↑5 9 too high 18 S Sovaryx Login Security — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓4 4 too high 19 NibbleSecure – Hide Login, Limit Login Attempts & Brute Force Shield — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓4 4 too high 20 Kwistech Secure — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓4 4 too high 21 EDH Bad Bots 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓3 22 BusinessPress 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓3 23 T Thessley Security Hardening — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓3 1 too low 24 ilGhera Restaurant Booking for WordPress 50+ · 1.7★ (3) wp.org #20 ↓3 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.