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

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 block”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

User IP and Location shows at wp.org #6 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 3220 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

IP Location Block 10K+ · 4.5★ (35) 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

Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #9 ↑1 5 too low 5

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6

BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security 100K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #12 ↑7 4 too low 9

iQ Block Country 20K+ · 3.9★ (166) wp.org #8 1 too high 10

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #20 ↓5 10 too low 11

Block IPs for Gravity Forms 1K+ · 5.0★ (16) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #5 6 too high 12

Geolocation IP Detection 20K+ · 4.7★ (59) wp.org #13 ↓2 1 too low 13

User IP and Location 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #6 ↑1 8 too high 15

Table Of Contents Block 10K+ · 4.3★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #10 5 too high 16

Popup builder with Gamification, Multi-Step Popups, Page-Level Targeting, and WooCommerce Triggers 70K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓5 3 too low 17

Image Slider Block 4K+ · 4.4★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #18 1 too low 18

Block wp-login 600+ · 4.7★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓6 6 too low 19

Countdown Block 4K+ · 4.1★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #17 2 too high 20

IP Geolocation 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↑6 6 too high 21

Image Gallery Block 4K+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too low 22

Team Member Block 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #21 1 too high 23

Easy IP Blocker 400+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too high 24

Flexa Block – Blocks & Page Builder 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓6 1 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.