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← Rankings

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

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 “flagging”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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 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 #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning 30K+ · 4.8★ (1039) wp.org #1 2 WPO365 | MICROSOFT 365 GRAPH MAILER 10K+ · 5.0★ (40) wp.org #2 3 WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) 10K+ · 4.9★ (154) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Disqus Comment System 30K+ · 2.7★ (219) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 BoltAudit – Site Speed Audit and Performance Insights 90+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 Comments by FastComments – Live, Privacy-First Comment System 30+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 B Bitron Right of Withdrawal 400+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 S Safe Report Comments 100+ · 3.0★ (7) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 Product Reviews & Photo Reviews for WooCommerce – Yuko 100+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11 DevDome Bot Protection: Bot Blocker and AI Crawler Control 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↑3 1 too high 12 Wholesale Customers For WooCommerce 60+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 Fake User Detector 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too low 14 IQ Fulfillment 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 NutsForPress Maintenance Mode 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 Insecure Content Warning 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 AgeWallet – Age Verification & Age Estimation for WordPress & WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↑6 2 too high 18 Baxtersweb Credit Packs – Prepaid Credits for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 Klarvo AI Transparency for EU AI Act 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 BetterShield – Security Audit, 2FA, Passkeys & Login Protection 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Webmarka Ad Click Protection for Google Ads 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Forge12 Security – Firewall, Malware Scanner, 2FA & Login Security 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 BadActors.io Fraud Review for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Anti Fake Orders & IP Blocker 300+ · 1.0★ (2) wp.org #12 12 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.