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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “dmarc”

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 “dmarc”, we and wp.org disagree 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

SMTP for Contact Form 7 shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Easy Form Builder by WhiteStudio – Drag & Drop Form Builder places #6 on merit, 5.0★ from 70 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 Email Auth – DKIM, SPF, DMARC, Bounce Address, From Address 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Customer Engagement System – Popup Builder, Forms, CRM & Email Marketing Automation 9K+ · 4.5★ (340) wp.org #9 5 too low 5 CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ · 3.8★ (135) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Easy Form Builder by WhiteStudio – Drag & Drop Form Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too low 7 Deliverability – pass DKIM, SPF, DMARC & more 700+ · 4.2★ (15) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Hostinger Reach – AI-Powered Email Marketing for WordPress 1M+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 App for Cloudflare® 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too high 10 atec SMTP Mail 60+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 Mail Control – Email Customizer, SMTP Deliverability, logging, open and click Tracking 60+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓3 10 too low 12 CenterShield – Site Security: Login Protection, 2FA, File Protection & Malware Scan 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 InboxAuth – Email Security, Setup SPF / DKIM, DMARC & Check Email Authenticity 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too high 14 Email Health Check & Log for WooCommerce – SPF, DKIM, DMARC & Alerts — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 Custom SMTP: Email Deliverability – FREE & Easy-to-use 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 InbxGuard – Email Deliverability, SPF, DKIM, DMARC Checker & Email Logs — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓3 2 too low 17 Does My Email Work – Email Deliverability Test 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓3 2 too low 18 Authority Mailer SMTP – WordPress SMTP Plugin with Email Logs 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too high 19 Meser10 Email Auth Check — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 DadsFam SMTP 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Host.it FastSMTP 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Neurax Site Health Analyzer 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓3 2 too high 23 DreamySites SMTP Mailer — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 SMTP for Contact Form 7 1K+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↓1 13 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.