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

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 “code lock”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 5 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

SiteGuard WP Plugin shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 600K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 15 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #10 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current wp.org #1 2

FluentSnippets – High-Performance Code Snippets, Header & Footer Code, Custom CSS & PHP Code Manager 50K+ · 4.7★ (78) wp.org #2 3

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #5 2 too low 4

Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5

Code Prettify 1K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6

WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too high 7

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8

Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #6 ↑2 2 too high 9

Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488) wp.org #13 4 too low 10

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526) wp.org #20 ↑1 10 too low 11

Media File Renamer: Rename Images & Files for SEO (AI-Powered) 40K+ · 4.6★ (447) wp.org #18 6 too low 13

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current wp.org #16 3 too low 14

File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492) wp.org #17 3 too low 15

Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too low 16

HTML5 Audio Player – The Ultimate No-Code Podcast, MP3 & Audio Player 10K+ · 4.6★ (169) not PHP-current wp.org #14 2 too high 17

Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) heavy footprint wp.org #15 ↓5 2 too high 18

Nexter Extension – Security, Performance, Code Snippets & Site Toolkit 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) heavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #10 ↑5 8 too high 19

Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20

Wbcom Designs – Private Community for BuddyPress 300+ · 4.9★ (25) wp.org #22 2 too low 21

Lock My Site 60+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #11 10 too high 22

Icegram Mailer – Reliable Email Deliverability, No-Code SMTP Replacement & Email Logs for WordPress 2K+ · 4.9★ (16) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24 2 too low 23

SiteGuard WP Plugin 600K+ · 4.3★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-currenthost-installed base thin reviews wp.org #12 11 too high 24

All in One Invite Codes 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #23 1 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.