wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “fake image”

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 “fake image”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

محتوای جعلی فارسی | Persian Fake Contents shows at wp.org #3 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 10+ 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

Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce places #7 on merit, 4.5★ from 355 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #1 2

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #2 3

AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #6 2 too low 5

FakerPress 10K+ · 4.9★ (205) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6

PiWeb Live sales notification for WooCommerce 40K+ · 4.1★ (29) wp.org #5 1 too high 7

Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355) wp.org #15 8 too low 8

Notivo Notification for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.3★ (80) wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9

Gravity Booster – Styles & Layouts for Gravity Forms 30K+ · 4.6★ (199) wp.org #16 ↓2 7 too low 10

Easy PayPal & Stripe Buy Now Button 10K+ · 4.5★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too high 11

My Private Site – Make Your Whole Site Private, Force Login & Block Registration Spam 10K+ · 4.5★ (82) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12

WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68) wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too low 13

Product Attachment for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.5★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too high 14

Accept Donations with PayPal & Stripe 10K+ · 3.8★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↓5 2 too high 15 م محتوای جعلی فارسی | Persian Fake Contents 10+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #3 12 too high 16

BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓7 3 too high 17

CopySafe Web Protection – Copy Protect Images 800+ · 4.1★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↑1 7 too high 18

Hover Effects – easily create any hover effect 7K+ · 4.8★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓2 19

Banner Management For WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.5★ (26) wp.org #22 3 too low 20

Ryviu – Review Importer & Product Reviews 1K+ · 3.8★ (43) wp.org #23 3 too low 21

Double Opt-In for Contact Form 7 – Secure, GDPR-Compliant Email Verification 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22

Easy PayPal Shopping Cart 1K+ · 3.9★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too high 23

Editoria11y Accessibility Checker 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24

Advanced Age Verification Popup 700+ · 5.0★ (3) 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.