wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “force pending”

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

AffiliateWP – Force Pending Referrals shows at wp.org #3 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

AutomatorWP – No-Code Workflow Automation, Integration & Webhooks Plugin, now with AI places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 202 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #1 2

Easy Updates Manager 300K+ · 4.8★ (726) wp.org #2 3

NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too low 4

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #8 ↓2 3 too low 6

Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #4 2 too high 7

Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8

SureContact – Newsletters, Email Marketing, Automation, Revenue Tracking & CRM 10K+ · 4.8★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #5 3 too high 9

Media File Renamer: Rename Images & Files for SEO (AI-Powered) 40K+ · 4.6★ (447) wp.org #12 ↑2 3 too low 10

AutomatorWP – No-Code Workflow Automation, Integration & Webhooks Plugin, now with AI 6K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #20 ↑3 10 too low 11

Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #11 ↓1 12

Deposits & Partial Payments for WooCommerce – Bayna 1K+ · 5.0★ (49) wp.org #17 ↑2 5 too low 13

Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #21 ↓4 8 too low 14

Proxy Cache Purge 50K+ · 4.4★ (26) wp.org #13 1 too high 15

Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #15 ↓3 16

Multibanco, MB WAY, Credit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Payshop, and PIX (ifthenpay) for WooCommerce 8K+ · 5.0★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #22 6 too low 17

Atlant Security 700+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↑1 3 too high 18 A AffiliateWP – Force Pending Referrals 500+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placementstale but ranked wp.org #3 15 too high 19

Agent Abilities for MCP – Connect Claude and ChatGPT with Permission Controls and Audit Log 800+ · 4.8★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #18 1 too high 20

Teydea Password Reset – Force Password Reset & Expiration 500+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #7 14 too high 22

JetHost Total Care – Security & Enhancements 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↑2 6 too high 23

Default Post Author 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too high 24

SureFeedback Cloud 20+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓3

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.