wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “geolocation redirect”
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 “geolocation redirect”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 3 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
DevDome Redirect Manager: Link Rotator, Geo Redirect & 302 Redirect shows at wp.org #4 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 19 places. Its 300+ 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
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 1322 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #3 2 too low 2 
If-So Geolocation 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too low 4 
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (107)
wp.org #6 ↓2 2 too low 5 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #11 ↓2 6 too low 6 
Advanced GeoIP Redirect 900+ · 3.6★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #2 4 too high 7 
BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP 20K+ · 4.8★ (85)
wp.org #9 ↓3 2 too low 8 
Geo Controller – Geolocation & Geotargeting 1K+ · 4.4★ (31)
wp.org #5 3 too high 9 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #16 ↓4 7 too low 10 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 3 too low 11 
Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514)
wp.org #17 6 too low 12 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↑11 2 too high 13 
ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251)
wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too low 14 
If-So Dynamic Content – Elementor & All Page Builders Personalization 7K+ · 4.7★ (92)
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 
Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1388)
wp.org #24 9 too low 16 
Geo Redirect 1K+ · 4.3★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓2 9 too high 17 
IP2Location Redirection 7K+ · 4.3★ (43)
wp.org #14 ↓6 3 too high 18 
IP2Location Country Blocker 30K+ · 4.1★ (128) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓8 19 
CloudGuard 1K+ · 4.9★ (30)
wp.org #21 ↓3 2 too low 20 
WPMasterToolKit (WPMTK) – All in one plugin 5K+ · 5.0★ (28)
wp.org #22 ↓7 2 too low 21 
Zero Spam for WordPress 20K+ · 4.1★ (143) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↑3 1 too high 22 
Country Based Restrictions for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.5★ (52) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 3 too high 23 DevDome Redirect Manager: Link Rotator, Geo Redirect & 302 Redirect 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↑12 19 too high 24 
Simple Country Redirect with IP geolocation 30+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓3 1 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.