wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ip api”

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 “ip api”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 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

IP Locator shows at wp.org #8 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 500+ 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 signals wp.org

Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #1 2

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3

IP Location Block 10K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4

PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5

Disable WP REST API 30K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #5 ↑1 6

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668) wp.org #10 ↑5 4 too low 7

Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #17 ↑1 9 too low 9

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #14 ↓2 5 too low 10

TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #20 ↓3 10 too low 11

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #22 11 too low 12

Geolocation IP Detection 20K+ · 4.7★ (59) wp.org #12 ↓2 13

Disable XML-RPC-API 100K+ · 4.2★ (43) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too high 14

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #21 ↑2 7 too low 15

User IP and Location 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #4 11 too high 16

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #23 ↓2 7 too low 17

Contact Form to Any API 8K+ · 5.0★ (28) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #11 ↓2 6 too high 18

JWT Authentication for WP REST API 60K+ · 4.4★ (53) not PHP-current wp.org #15 ↓2 3 too high 19

CoCart – Headless REST API for WooCommerce 900+ · 4.9★ (21) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓4 5 too low 20

IP Geolocation 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓2 7 too high 21 S Show Visitor IP 300+ · 3.6★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too high 22

IP Locator 500+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #8 ↓1 14 too high 23

Easy IP Blocker 400+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #16 7 too high 24

IP Address Approval 100+ · 3.7★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #19 5 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.