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← Rankings

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

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 “hashes”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Public Preview URL Manager shows at wp.org #13 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 200+ 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

AutomatorWP – No-Code Workflow Automation, Integration & Webhooks Plugin, now with AI places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 202 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WPS Limit Login 100K+ · 4.9★ (83) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too low 5 Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 AutomatorWP – No-Code Workflow Automation, Integration & Webhooks Plugin, now with AI 6K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #12 6 too low 7 WP BrowserUpdate 1K+ · 4.6★ (16) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 AdUnblocker 200+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #17 9 too low 9 NextGenThemes jsDelivr CDN 300+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 No unsafe-inline 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 CSP Friendly Security 200+ · 3.5★ (4) wp.org #4 ↑2 7 too high 12 Compromise Scanner for wp2shell 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↓2 5 too high 13 LovedByAI – GEO (Generative Engine Optimization) & AI SEO Plugin: AEO, llms.txt 1K+ · 4.4★ (5) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 Cowboy MCP – Free MCP Server with Undo for Claude & ChatGPT 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 BitFire Security – Firewall, Malware Scanner, Bot Blocker, Login Protection 300+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Segurium – Free Malware Removal & Auto Cleanup for Hacked Websites, Antivirus Scanner, Vulnerability Alerts 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↑1 5 too low 17 WP Taxonomy Manager 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 CAPI Suite: Meta Pixel, Pinterest & TikTok for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 WP All Import – User Import Add-On 4K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↑1 9 too high 20 Edroz Libro de Reclamaciones 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 DevDome Malware Scanner – WordPress Malware Removal & Security Scanner 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 Markdown for Agents and Statistics 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 Public Preview URL Manager 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 10 too high 24 Media Rename — OrbitStem 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.