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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “check age”

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 “check age”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 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

AC’s Retirement Age Calculator shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense places #3 on merit, 4.9★ from 1463 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Age Gate 40K+ · 4.6★ (64) wp.org #1 2 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #12 ↓1 10 too low 3 Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) wp.org #15 12 too low 4 Complianz – Terms and Conditions 300K+ · 4.9★ (187) wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too low 5 Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488) wp.org #16 ↓6 11 too low 6 Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215) wp.org #14 ↑2 8 too low 7 Advanced Age Verification Popup 700+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668) wp.org #18 ↑4 10 too low 9 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #20 ↓2 11 too low 10 Marijuana Age Verify 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 6 too high 11 Easy Age Verify 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #3 8 too high 12 WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) wp.org #8 ↑6 4 too high 13 CPS | Age Verification 800+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #6 7 too high 14 GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #21 ↓2 7 too low 15 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #22 ↓9 7 too low 16 Age Verification for your checkout page. Verify your customer’s identity 600+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 11 too high 17 Vendi Abandoned Plugin Check 1K+ · 4.1★ (10) wp.org #10 ↓3 7 too high 18 Dynamic Month & Year into Posts 8K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #19 ↓2 1 too low 19 C Current Age Plugin 60+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #17 ↓2 2 too high 20 Rapid Car Check 200+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #11 ↓3 9 too high 21 AC’s Retirement Age Calculator 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 14 too high 22 AB Age Gate 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 13 too high 23 AgeOnce Age Verification for WooCommerce 10+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #23

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.