wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “disable xml”
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 xml”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Simple Disable XML-RPC shows at wp.org #4 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 1K+ 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
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #10 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. 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 #2 ↑1 3 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #7 ↑5 4 too low 4 
Disable XML-RPC-API 100K+ · 4.2★ (43)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 
XML Sitemap & Google News 100K+ · 4.4★ (85)
wp.org #5 ↑1 6 
XML Sitemap Generator for Google 1M+ · 4.8★ (2233)
wp.org #9 ↓4 3 too low 7 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #12 ↓3 5 too low 8 
Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) not PHP-current
wp.org #8 9 
Disable Bloat for WordPress & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (100)
wp.org #13 4 too low 10 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #19 ↓1 9 too low 11 
Dynamic XML Sitemaps Generator for Google 20K+ · 4.7★ (47)
wp.org #11 ↓1 12 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #16 ↓5 4 too low 13 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1915)
wp.org #22 ↓1 9 too low 14 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #21 ↓1 7 too low 15 Simple Disable XML-RPC 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↑12 11 too high 16 
Disable XML-RPC Pingback 60K+ · 3.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↓2 10 too high 17 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #17 ↑6 18 
Disable Everything 30K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓3 8 too high 19 
Disable WP Sitemaps 10K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 
Disable Blog 20K+ · 4.7★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 21 
Featherweight 10K+ · 4.1★ (45) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓1 2 too low 22 
Stop XML-RPC Attacks 6K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #14 8 too high 23 
Hostinger Tools 3M+ · 3.5★ (40) host-installed base
wp.org #15 8 too high 24 
XML Sitemaps Manager 400+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #24 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.