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

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 “crack”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Fluistr Authentication shows at wp.org #11 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10+ 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 CAPTCHA 4WP – Antispam CAPTCHA solution for WordPress 100K+ · 3.2★ (269) wp.org #1 2 WP Limit Login Attempts 10K+ · 4.6★ (300) wp.org #2 3 Missed Scheduled Posts Publisher by WPBeginner 20K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #3 4 Project Manager – AI Powered Project Management, Task Management, Kanban Board & Time Tracker 5K+ · 3.8★ (187) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 HelpCrunch – Live Chat, Chatbot & Knowledge Base for Customer Service 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Address Validation and Autocomplete for WooCommerce | Addressfinder 900+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 WebDefender Security – Protection & AntiSpam 1K+ · 4.0★ (18) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #8 9 LazyTasks – Project & Task Management with Collaboration, Kanban and Gantt Chart 90+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 Multicollab: Content Team Collaboration and Editorial Workflow 300+ · 3.7★ (10) wp.org #10 11 CF7 Submissions – Securely Store Contact Form 7 Data and Attachments, Reply to the Sender and more 2K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Tracktastic: Free Matomo Integration for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 HelpDesk.com Contact Form 20+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 5 too low 14 Visitor Analytics and Lead Generation Plugin by Inbound Rocket 10+ · 4.1★ (9) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 Desku.io – Live Chat, Help Desk & Knowledge Base 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 O Overwrite Author Name 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 17 System Update Exporter 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Easy Booked – Appointment Booking and Scheduling Management System for WordPress 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 Fluistr Authentication 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 8 too high 20 Form Submission Email Reports 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 8 too high 21 SpamKill – No-CAPTCHA, No-Signup Anti-Spam & Spam Protection for Comments & Reviews for WooCommerce 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Jobber 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Leadite 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Revisual – Event Communication for Google Calendar & Outlook 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 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.