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

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 detection”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

IP Locator shows at wp.org #5 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 15 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

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 397 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★ (5040) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

Geolocation IP Detection 20K+ · 4.7★ (59) wp.org #2 1 too high 4

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #4 ↑2 5

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #9 ↑2 4 too low 6

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #15 ↑1 9 too low 7

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too low 9

TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #17 ↓2 8 too low 10

CURCY – Multi Currency for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.3★ (227) wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too low 11

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #22 ↑2 11 too low 12

NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) wp.org #21 9 too low 13 I IP Based Login 600+ · 4.9★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too high 14

Limit Login Attempts Security – Brute Force Protection, 2FA, Firewall & Login Security 1M+ · 4.8★ (1489) wp.org #24 ↓1 10 too low 15

Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #12 3 too high 16

Spam Protection | Maspik 30K+ · 4.7★ (87) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too low 17

Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (386) wp.org #23 ↓1 6 too low 18

Trace My IP – Visitor IP Tracker, Stats Analytics & Page Views Counter with Email Alerts 1K+ · 4.5★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #13 5 too high 19

User IP and Location 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #8 11 too high 20

IP Locator 500+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #5 ↓1 15 too high 21

Easy IP Blocker 400+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #7 14 too high 22

GranTech IP Firewall for AbuseIPDB 60+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↑3 4 too high 23

Fraud and Scam Detection For WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↓1 12 too high 24

IP & Country Blocker Lite 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews 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.