Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “email gate”

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 “email gate”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 2 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

Advanced Email Domain Restriction shows at wp.org #5 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Import and export users and customers places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 259 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 Kit (formerly ConvertKit) – Email Newsletter, Email Marketing, Membership, Subscribers and Landing Pages 40K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Age Gate Lite 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Bit integrations – Form Integration, Webhook, Spreadsheets, CRM, LMS & Email Automation 20K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Click to Chat – HoliThemes 600K+ · 4.8★ (131) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 WP-DBManager 50K+ · 4.4★ (95) wp.org #12 6 too low 7 ActiveLayer Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for Forms & Comments 10K+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #7 ↑2 8 Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259) wp.org #22 14 too low 9 Quiz Maker, Poll Maker & Survey Maker by Opinion Stage 6K+ · 4.4★ (277) wp.org #20 11 too low 10 Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212) wp.org #24 ↓2 14 too low 11 Document Embedder – let visitors read files without downloading 9K+ · 4.9★ (120) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 WP-Force Images Download 90+ · 4.9★ (8) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too high 13 Double Opt-In for Contact Form 7 – Secure, GDPR-Compliant Email Verification 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too high 14 EU Withdrawal and Legal Guarantee Compliance 1K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 FOX – Currency Switcher Professional for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.4★ (250) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too low 16 FAZ Cookie Manager 3K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 Email Gated Downloads 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 15 too high 18 Coupon Creator 1K+ · 4.3★ (37) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too high 19 Bread & Butter – Identify Website Visitors, Score Leads & Gate Content 70+ · 4.7★ (7) wp.org #11 ↓1 8 too high 20 Landing Page Cat – Coming Soon & Maintenance Pages 600+ · 4.2★ (6) wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too high 21 Advanced Email Domain Restriction 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 16 too high 22 Advanced Age Verification Popup 700+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too high 23 GRO 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↑1 9 too high 24 O OneCode Login 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 1 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.