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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “cross origin”

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 “cross origin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Enable CORS shows at wp.org #4 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates places #4 on merit, 4.9★ from 1680 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 HTTP Headers 40K+ · 4.3★ (70) wp.org #1 2 Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #2 3 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #3 4 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #12 ↓1 8 too low 5 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #5 6 Upsell Funnel Builder for WooCommerce – Create Upsells, Cross-Sells, Order Bumps, Frequently Bought, and Popups. 2K+ · 4.7★ (116) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 FAZ Cookie Manager 3K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too low 10 Master Slider – Responsive Touch Slider 60K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #18 ↓1 8 too low 11 JWT Authentication for WP REST API 60K+ · 4.4★ (53) wp.org #16 ↓3 5 too low 12 Darkify – Dark Mode & Night Mode for Website & Admin (Dark Theme Included) 1K+ · 4.7★ (28) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 Atlant Security 800+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too high 14 Simple JWT Login – Allows you to use JWT on REST endpoints. 4K+ · 5.0★ (47) wp.org #24 ↓1 10 too low 15 HTTP Security Header 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 9 too high 16 Enable CORS 5K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #4 12 too high 17 Essential Classy Addons for Elementor – 150+ Widgets, Templates & Performance Tools 400+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #17 ↓2 18 Radio Player Page 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 DiveWP – Boost Site Performance with Clear, Actionable Steps 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #23 ↓1 4 too low 20 GDPR-DSGVO compliant Embeds for Google Maps 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21 jAlbum Bridge 500+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #10 11 too high 22 WP Anti-Clickjack 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too high 23 BoundaryGuard Headers 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Live Data Display 30+ · 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.