wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “data protection”
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 “data protection”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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 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
ActiveLayer Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for Forms & Comments shows at wp.org #10 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #1 ↑2 2 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220)
wp.org #4 ↓3 1 too low 4 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668)
wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too high 5 
Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 
Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 5M+ · 4.7★ (1187)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 
Spam Protection | Maspik 30K+ · 4.7★ (87)
wp.org #7 ↓3 8 
WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1138)
wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too low 9 
GDPR Cookie Compliance – Cookie Banner, Cookie Consent, Cookie Notice for CCPA, EU Cookie Law 300K+ · 4.6★ (205)
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 
Antispam Bee 700K+ · 4.8★ (226)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking 20K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #9 2 too high 12 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #22 ↓1 10 too low 13 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #13 ↓2 14 
WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection 10K+ · 4.6★ (213)
wp.org #17 3 too low 15 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #21 ↓2 6 too low 16 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759)
wp.org #16 17 
GDPR Data Request Form 5K+ · 4.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #8 9 too high 18 
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488)
wp.org #23 ↓3 5 too low 19 
Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (472)
wp.org #24 ↓9 5 too low 20 
Statify 100K+ · 4.8★ (51)
wp.org #19 ↓2 1 too high 21 ActiveLayer Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for Forms & Comments 10K+ · 4.9★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↑3 11 too high 22 
ClickCease Click Fraud Protection 10K+ · 3.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #14 8 too high 23 
Export Customers Data 500+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #18 5 too high 24 
Image Protection 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓2 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.