wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “disable wp json”
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 wp json”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
SMNTCS Disable REST API User Endpoints shows at wp.org #17 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 7 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
WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 1966 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281)
wp.org #1 ↑2 2 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5 
Disable WP REST API 30K+ · 4.8★ (36)
wp.org #3 ↑2 2 too high 6 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275)
wp.org #6 ↑3 7 
WP Recipe Maker 50K+ · 5.0★ (356)
wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too low 8 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #7 ↑4 1 too high 9 
SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1268)
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #10 ↓2 11 
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #9 ↑4 2 too high 12 WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966)
wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too low 13 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440)
wp.org #12 ↑11 2 too high 15 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 
WP-Polls 40K+ · 4.2★ (136)
wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too high 17 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 
Disable Bloat for WordPress & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (100)
wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too high 19 
WP RSS Aggregator – RSS Import, Feed to Post, Autoblogging, AI Content 40K+ · 4.5★ (565)
wp.org #22 ↓2 3 too low 20 
Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more 500K+ · 4.6★ (709)
wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too low 21 
hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88)
wp.org #18 ↓3 3 too high 22 
Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Disable XML-RPC-API 100K+ · 4.2★ (43)
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 SMNTCS Disable REST API User Endpoints 8K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 7 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.