wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “device verification”

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 “device verification”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 3 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

ICWT Responsive Device Preview shows at wp.org #4 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 20 places. Its 70+ 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.

Buried gem

Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery places #5 on merit, 4.7★ from 616 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) heavy footprint wp.org #3 2 too low 2

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #7 5 too low 3

Advanced Age Verification Popup 700+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #1 2 too high 4

Customer Email Verification for WooCommerce – OTP Verification, Block Fake Signups 2K+ · 4.2★ (20) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #2 2 too high 5

Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #14 9 too low 6

Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 3 too low 7

Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309) not PHP-current wp.org #10 3 too low 8

Identity Verification for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #5 3 too high 9

Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209) wp.org #15 ↑2 6 too low 10

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #17 7 too low 11

Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint wp.org #13 2 too low 12

Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) heavy footprint wp.org #16 4 too low 13

miniOrange 2FA – Two Factor Authentication for WordPress (OTP, SMS, Email, Google Authenticator) 10K+ · 4.5★ (385) wp.org #20 ↓1 7 too low 14

Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too high 15

Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) not PHP-current wp.org #19 3 too low 17 W WP 2-step verification 1K+ · 4.2★ (27) wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too high 18

Blacklist Manager – WooCommerce Anti-Fraud, Blacklist & Checkout Verification 2K+ · 3.6★ (14) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #6 12 too high 19

Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #21 ↑3 2 too low 20

Payment Gateway for PayPal on WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (73) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21

Secure Passkeys 2K+ · 4.8★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #23 2 too low 22

LukasApps CAPTCHA tools for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.1★ (48) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #18 4 too high 23

Academic Certificate Verification – Certificate Management & Certificate Validator 70+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #8 15 too high 24

ICWT Responsive Device Preview 70+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #4 20 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.