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← Rankings

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

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 “grants”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

WP Consent API shows at wp.org #5 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 200K+ 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

Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection places #9 on merit, 4.6★ from 3992 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #1 2 OAuth Single Sign On – SSO (OAuth Client) 6K+ · 4.9★ (327) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 WP OAuth Server ( Login with WordPress ) 1K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Prevent Direct Access – Protect WordPress Files 10K+ · 4.6★ (297) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #12 ↑1 5 too low 8 Advanced Coupons for WooCommerce – BOGO, Store Credit & WooCommerce Coupons 20K+ · 4.4★ (184) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992) wp.org #18 ↓6 9 too low 10 CAOS | Host Google Analytics Locally 10K+ · 4.9★ (128) wp.org #19 9 too low 11 JWT Authentication for WP REST APIs 10K+ · 4.4★ (74) wp.org #14 ↑1 3 too low 12 Remove Dashboard Access 30K+ · 4.6★ (78) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too low 13 View Admin As 9K+ · 4.9★ (49) wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too low 14 YITH WooCommerce Affiliates 6K+ · 4.2★ (19) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 Page Builder: Pagelayer – Drag and Drop website builder 400K+ · 3.9★ (104) wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too high 16 YITH WooCommerce Subscription 6K+ · 3.0★ (46) wp.org #6 10 too high 17 Affiliates 2K+ · 4.5★ (137) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection 10K+ · 4.3★ (94) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 WP Consent API 200K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 15 too high 21 SureMembers – Membership & Content Restriction Plugin 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 13 too high 22 Comment Blacklist Updater 800+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too high 23 Membership & User Roles for WooCommerce (Automatic Role Changer) 400+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #23 24 Comment Blacklist Manager 500+ · 4.4★ (5) 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.