wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “disable text selection”
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 text selection”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Text Replace – Find and Replace WordPress Strings shows at wp.org #5 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 616 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #3 2 too low 2 
Disable Right Click RB – Content Copy Protection, Prevent Copy & No Right Click 600+ · 4.2★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #1 ↑1 1 too high 3 
PiWeb Disable payment method / Partial payment for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (38)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5 
WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1138)
wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
AI Alt Text Generator 2K+ · 4.9★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #2 ↓1 5 too high 8 
Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926)
wp.org #14 6 too low 9 
Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files 10K+ · 4.6★ (297)
wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 
Image Watermark 40K+ · 4.2★ (298)
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too low 11 
Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033)
wp.org #16 ↑5 5 too low 12 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #20 ↑2 8 too low 13 
Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking 20K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14 
ImgSEO – AI Image Alt Text Generator & Image SEO Tools 400+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓2 6 too high 15 
Copy Anything to Clipboard for WordPress – Copy Button, Copy Text & Copy Code 10K+ · 4.5★ (36)
wp.org #15 ↓2 16 
Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Color, Image & Size Swatches 200K+ · 4.6★ (51)
wp.org #18 ↓3 2 too low 17 
Right Click Ban – Disable Right Click & Content Copy Protection 400+ · 4.3★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↓1 11 too high 18 
Smart COD for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.6★ (52)
wp.org #22 ↑1 4 too low 19 
Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #19 20 
WP EXtra – One Click Optimize 6K+ · 4.9★ (41)
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Text Replace – Find and Replace WordPress Strings 300+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↓1 16 too high 22 
WP Content Copy Protection with Color Design 5K+ · 4.5★ (25)
wp.org #21 ↓3 1 too high 23 
CP Blocks 1K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓3 6 too high 24 
Date Time Picker for Contact Form 7 20K+ · 3.3★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓7 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.