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

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 “exploit”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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 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

Compromise Scanner for wp2shell shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 3K+ 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

Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 1039 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #1 2 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #2 3 Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #3 4 Jetpack Protect 100K+ · 4.6★ (123) wp.org #4 5 File Manager Pro – Filester 100K+ · 4.9★ (155) wp.org #7 ↑5 2 too low 6 Security Ninja – WordPress Security & Firewall 7K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #6 ↑4 7 BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security 100K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #12 ↑1 5 too low 8 Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning 30K+ · 4.8★ (1039) wp.org #17 ↑3 9 too low 9 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 AntiVirus 30K+ · 4.1★ (23) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #16 ↑3 5 too low 12 Notibar – Notification Bar for WordPress 8K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too low 13 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #19 ↓10 6 too low 14 WP fail2ban – Advanced Security 60K+ · 4.2★ (71) wp.org #15 ↑2 1 too low 15 WP Duplicate Page 60K+ · 4.2★ (16) wp.org #8 ↓1 7 too high 16 WPS Cleaner 10K+ · 4.3★ (99) wp.org #22 6 too low 17 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #18 ↑5 1 too low 18 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Two Factor (2FA) Authentication via Email 9K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 ↓2 9 too high 20 WPS Notice Center 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #14 ↑2 6 too high 21 Host Header Injection Fix 400+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #20 ↑2 1 too high 22 Compromise Scanner for wp2shell 3K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↓3 13 too high 23 Remove Website URL Field From Comment Form 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 B Batch REST Guard 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 3 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.