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

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 whitelist”, 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

Zoho Flow – No-Code Workflow Automation shows at wp.org #11 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 397 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

Tracking Code Manager 90K+ · 4.1★ (58) wp.org #1 2

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #2 3

Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #5 2 too low 4

Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) not PHP-current wp.org #3 1 too high 5

Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) not PHP-current wp.org #6 1 too low 6

CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes 200K+ · 4.7★ (326) wp.org #10 4 too low 7

Blackhole for Bad Bots 30K+ · 4.7★ (148) wp.org #12 5 too low 8

Code Engine – PHP Snippets, AI Functions & Automation for WordPress 800+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #4 4 too high 9

Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #7 2 too high 10

Disable Gutenberg 500K+ · 5.0★ (735) wp.org #16 6 too low 11

Product Code for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (30) wp.org #8 3 too high 12

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #20 8 too low 13

Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142) wp.org #13 14

Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #9 5 too high 15

HTML5 Audio Player – The Ultimate No-Code Podcast, MP3 & Audio Player 10K+ · 4.6★ (169) not PHP-current wp.org #15 16

BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security 100K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #21 5 too low 17

Disable WP REST API 30K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #17 1 too high 19

Zoho Flow – No-Code Workflow Automation 5K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #11 8 too high 20

DoLogin Security 7K+ · 4.5★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too low 22

SilentShield – Captcha & Anti-Spam for WordPress (CF7, WPForms, Elementor, WooCommerce) 10K+ · 4.7★ (24) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24 2 too low 23

Preserve Code Formatting 400+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #19 4 too high 24

IP Whitelist 50+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #18 6 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.