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

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 “devtools”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 2 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

Sifalo Pay shows at wp.org #15 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 50+ 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

Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme places #2 on merit, 4.5★ from 391 reviews, but shows at wp.org #7. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Disable Right Click RB – Content Copy Protection, Prevent Copy & No Right Click 600+ · 4.2★ (14) wp.org #1 2 Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme 20K+ · 4.5★ (391) wp.org #7 ↓3 5 too low 3 MOBILOOK — Mobile View & Mobile‑Friendly Test 1K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too low 4 Autocomplete Google Address 2K+ · 4.0★ (25) wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too low 5 Bubuku Media Library 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #8 ↓2 3 too low 6 CloudScale Cyber & DevTools 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 4 too high 7 Right Click Ban – Disable Right Click & Content Copy Protection 400+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Advanced REST API DevTools 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 ↓2 5 too high 9 Init Content Protector – Anti-Copy, Anti-Scrape, Encrypt-All 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 eDarpan: Website Protection 200+ · 3.8★ (5) wp.org #13 ↓3 3 too low 11 WebMax Accessibility for WCAG, Section 508, ADA, EAA Compliance — · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↓4 10 too low 12 WPGraphQL IDE 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 ↓3 6 too high 13 Selective Image Guard | A deterrent for unauthorized downloads and scraping 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too high 14 Ozosh DevTools — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓5 2 too high 15 Kripanov Anticopia 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too low 16 Accelvia – Content Protection 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too low 17 CopyBlocker Pro – Content Protection 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too high 18 Corsen Context 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 ContentShield Lite 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓4 1 too low 20 AccessKit – Accessibility Options Toolbar 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓4 2 too low 21 Responsive Checker & Device Preview – Mobile Responsive Testing, Simulator & Developer Tools 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 2 too low 22 BanzaiStyle — Layout Inspector for Elementor — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Sifalo Pay 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too high 24 QuangNhatDev AI Agent Tools for WebMCP — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓4

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.