wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “captcha code”

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 “captcha code”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Kaya Login Captcha shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 11 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

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) wp.org #2 1 too low 2

Captcha Code 100K+ · 3.9★ (35) wp.org #1 1 too high 3

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #3 4

WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection 10K+ · 4.6★ (213) wp.org #4 ↑6 5

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6

reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 100K+ · 3.9★ (391) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7

SilentShield – Captcha & Anti-Spam for WordPress (CF7, WPForms, Elementor, WooCommerce) 10K+ · 4.7★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #19 11 too low 9

Image CAPTCHA for Contact Form 7 and WPForms by HookAndHook (DSGVO/GDPR) 70K+ · 4.7★ (49) wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too low 10

WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too low 11

Friendly Captcha for WordPress 10K+ · 3.9★ (18) thin reviews wp.org #5 ↓1 6 too high 12

Advanced Google reCAPTCHA 200K+ · 4.8★ (430) wp.org #21 9 too low 13

Captcha by BestWebSoft – Advanced Spam Protection, Math & OCR-Friendly Captcha for Site Forms 10K+ · 4.1★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #9 ↑3 4 too high 14

Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 5K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #18 ↑2 4 too low 15

oopspam Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for WordPress Forms & Comments (No CAPTCHA) 6K+ · 4.9★ (51) wp.org #22 6 too low 17

Simple Login Captcha 10K+ · 3.9★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↓2 6 too high 18

Kitgenix CAPTCHA for Cloudflare Turnstile 700+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓4 1 too high 19

Captcha by Yandex for Contact Form 7 3K+ · 4.6★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too high 20

Power Captcha reCAPTCHA 900+ · 4.3★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↑1 7 too high 21

Easy Spam Filter – Privacy-Friendly CAPTCHA Alternative with Turnstile for Contact Form 7, WPForms, BuddyPress, Elementor 1K+ · 4.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↑1 2 too low 22

Captcha Ajax 100+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too high 23

Kaya Login Captcha 400+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↓1 11 too high 24

BotShield CAPTCHA for Contact Form 7 80+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #24

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.