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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “face detection”

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 “face detection”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Forge AI Bot Log – Block AI Bots, Crawler Detection & Verification shows at wp.org #7 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 90+ 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

Gallery by Visual Portfolio places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 340 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 OMGF | GDPR/DSGVO Compliant, Faster Google Fonts. Easy. 300K+ · 4.7★ (213) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816) wp.org #3 ↑4 1 too low 3 Better image sizes 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Featured Image from URL (FIFU) 60K+ · 4.6★ (264) wp.org #10 6 too low 5 SSL Zen — SSL Certificate Installer & HTTPS Redirects 9K+ · 4.9★ (665) wp.org #13 ↓2 8 too low 6 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #11 ↓3 5 too low 7 Gallery by Visual Portfolio 50K+ · 4.8★ (340) wp.org #19 ↓1 12 too low 8 ProctoPress : Quiz/Exam Proctoring For Learning Management System(LMS) 100+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #6 ↓2 2 too high 9 EasyFonts – Host Google Fonts Locally, Fast & Auto-Optimize, GDPR Compliant 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 too high 10 Better Find and Replace – AI-Powered Suggestions 40K+ · 4.6★ (171) wp.org #18 ↓2 8 too low 11 Security Ninja – WordPress Security & Firewall 7K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #17 ↑3 6 too low 12 FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #12 ↑1 13 Virusdie | One-click website security 2K+ · 4.0★ (9) wp.org #8 ↑1 5 too high 14 Pie Forms — Drag & Drop Form Builder 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 9 too high 15 Capsquery Facial Authentication 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #9 ↑1 6 too high 16 MakeCommerce for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.6★ (8) wp.org #16 ↑1 17 Advanced Age Verification Popup 700+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Forge AI Bot Log – Block AI Bots, Crawler Detection & Verification 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↓1 11 too high 19 Reoon Email Verifier 600+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓2 5 too low 20 Shufti | Identity Verification Service 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 too low 21 ImageBoss – Image Optimization & CDN 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22 Connections Business Directory Face Detect 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 Auglio Try-on Mirror 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 Advanced Passkeys for Secure Login 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑3 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.