Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 users”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Anti Fake Orders & IP Blocker shows at wp.org #10 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

FakerPress places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 205 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 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #1 2 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #2 3 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 RegistrationMagic – Custom Registration Forms, User Registration, Payment, and User Login 7K+ · 4.5★ (459) wp.org #5 6 Login & Register Customizer – Forms, Popup, Profile & WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.8★ (254) wp.org #12 ↓2 6 too low 7 Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #17 10 too low 8 FakerPress 10K+ · 4.9★ (205) wp.org #19 11 too low 9 Pie Register – User Registration, Profiles & Content Restriction 1K+ · 4.2★ (222) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 Bulk Delete Users by Email 100+ · 4.1★ (10) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 CAPTCHA 4WP – Antispam CAPTCHA solution for WordPress 100K+ · 3.2★ (269) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 Customer Email Verification for WooCommerce – OTP Verification, Block Fake Signups 2K+ · 4.2★ (20) wp.org #7 ↑17 5 too high 13 PiWeb Live sales notification for WooCommerce 40K+ · 4.1★ (29) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 Proxy & VPN Blocker 1K+ · 3.8★ (33) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #21 ↓5 6 too low 16 Fraud Prevention For WooCommerce and EDD 4K+ · 3.7★ (23) wp.org #9 ↓1 7 too high 17 Checkout Shield for WooCommerce – Stop Fake Orders, Spam Bots & Card Testing 400+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #11 6 too high 18 FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #24 ↓1 6 too low 19 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #23 ↓1 4 too low 20 Anti Spam and list cleaner – AcyChecker 400+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 21 Fake User Detector 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 13 too high 22 م محتوای جعلی فارسی | Persian Fake Contents 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too high 23 Advanced Email Filter for Elementor Forms 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Anti Fake Orders & IP Blocker 300+ · 1.0★ (2) wp.org #10 ↓1 14 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.