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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “id check”

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 “id check”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Instant Indexing & Check for Google and Bing SEO shows at wp.org #5 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 400+ 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

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Page scroll to id 100K+ · 4.9★ (225) wp.org #1 2 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Catch IDs 20K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #13 ↑4 8 too low 6 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #15 9 too low 7 Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496) wp.org #16 ↓4 9 too low 8 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #14 ↑2 6 too low 9 Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302) wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too low 10 UPI QR Code Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (256) wp.org #10 ↓2 11 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #22 11 too low 12 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #23 11 too low 13 Show IDs by DraftPress 10K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #18 ↓4 3 too low 16 EmbedPress 100K+ · 4.8★ (307) wp.org #21 ↑3 5 too low 17 Identity Verification for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #9 ↑1 8 too high 18 WP ADA Compliance Check Basic 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #4 14 too high 19 GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #24 ↓5 5 too low 20 Wbcom Designs – BuddyPress Check-ins 90+ · 3.5★ (11) wp.org #8 ↓1 12 too high 21 Instant Indexing & Check for Google and Bing SEO 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 16 too high 22 ID Image Ad Popup & Roadblock 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↑2 15 too high 23 SEO & AI Readiness Check 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 eID Easy 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↑1 4 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.