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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “disable rest api”

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 “disable rest api”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

SMNTCS Disable REST API User Endpoints shows at wp.org #2 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 8K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 1915 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Disable WP REST API 30K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #1 2 Disable Gutenberg 500K+ · 5.0★ (735) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 JWT Authentication for WP REST APIs 10K+ · 4.4★ (74) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Disable XML-RPC-API 100K+ · 4.2★ (43) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 Disable Bloat for WordPress & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (100) wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too low 8 WPGet API – Connect to any external REST API 10K+ · 5.0★ (32) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Disable Media Sizes 10K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1915) wp.org #21 11 too low 11 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #22 11 too low 12 PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #16 ↑7 4 too low 13 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #23 ↓3 10 too low 14 R REST API Log 5K+ · 3.6★ (24) wp.org #6 ↑1 8 too high 15 SMNTCS Disable REST API User Endpoints 8K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 13 too high 16 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #20 ↓4 4 too low 17 Disable Everything 30K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 Disable Lazy Load 9K+ · 4.5★ (23) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too high 19 Disable WP Sitemaps 10K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too high 20 Disable Blog 20K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #17 ↓2 3 too high 21 Contact Form to Any API 8K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Disable Application Passwords 3K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 Featherweight 10K+ · 4.1★ (45) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 REST API Guard 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↑6 12 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.