wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “disable threshold”
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 threshold”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 4 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
One Stop Shop for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #14 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Germanized for WooCommerce places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 496 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4 
Disable Generate Thumbnails 6K+ · 5.0★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496)
wp.org #10 ↓2 4 too low 7 
Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) not PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↑3 1 too low 8 
Disable Thumbnails, Threshold and Image Options 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #2 6 too high 9 
Perfect Images: Regenerate Thumbnails, Image Sizes, WebP & AVIF 60K+ · 4.8★ (279)
wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too low 10 
Image Watermark 40K+ · 4.2★ (298)
wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too high 11 
Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #7 4 too high 12 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #12 ↑2 13 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 
Blackhole for Bad Bots 30K+ · 4.7★ (148)
wp.org #18 4 too low 15 
404 to 301 – Redirect Manager, 301 Redirection, 404 Error Logs & 404 Monitoring 100K+ · 4.7★ (321)
wp.org #21 ↑2 6 too low 16 
Sticky Header Effects for Elementor 300K+ · 4.5★ (69)
wp.org #16 17 
Free Shipping Label and Progress Bar for WooCommerce 5K+ · 5.0★ (43) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 4 too high 18 
Gravity Forms Zero Spam 100K+ · 4.3★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #17 1 too high 19 
Easy Actions Scheduler Cleaner 900+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓2 4 too low 20 
Animated Blocks on Scroll 2K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓3 2 too low 21 
Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 1 too high 22 One Stop Shop for WooCommerce 10K+ · 5.0★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 8 too high 23 
WPC Free Shipping Bar for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.2★ (13) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 
Power Coupons for WooCommerce 30K+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #19 5 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.