wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “http requests”
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 “http requests”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 2 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
Inspect HTTP Requests shows at wp.org #9 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 100+ 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.
WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect 50K+ · 4.9★ (1146)
wp.org #3 2 too low 2 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
HTTP Requests Manager 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 too high 4 L Log HTTP Requests 2K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #8 3 too low 6 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 7 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
SSL Zen — SSL Certificate Installer & HTTPS Redirects 9K+ · 4.9★ (665)
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 
NP Quote Request for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.6★ (87)
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #14 3 too low 12 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #15 3 too low 13 
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #17 4 too low 14 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #22 8 too low 15 
Proxy Cache Purge 50K+ · 4.4★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 10 too high 16 
NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 3 too low 17 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
Page Speed Optimizer: HTTP/2 Push, Async JavaScript, and Defer CSS 6K+ · 4.7★ (64)
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 
GDPR Data Request Form 5K+ · 4.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #13 7 too high 21 
Request a Quote for WooCommerce – Get a Quote Button 6K+ · 5.0★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 
Simple Feature Requests Free – User Feedback Board 100+ · 4.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Inspect HTTP Requests 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #9 14 too high 24 
BlackSwan | Block External Request 40+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
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.