wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ip limit”
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 limit”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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 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 #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 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
Translate WordPress with GTranslate places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 4962 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488)
wp.org #1 2 
Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27)
wp.org #2 3 
WPS Limit Login 100K+ · 4.9★ (83)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
IP Location Block 10K+ · 4.5★ (35)
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
WP Limit Login Attempts 10K+ · 4.6★ (300)
wp.org #6 7 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Server IP & Memory Usage Display 20K+ · 4.9★ (40)
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #19 8 too low 12 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668)
wp.org #16 4 too low 13 
Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 14 
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #21 7 too low 15 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 I IP Based Login 600+ · 4.9★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #10 6 too high 17 
Loggedin – Session Manager, Limit Concurrent Logins & Force Logout 8K+ · 4.9★ (112)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #18 19 
Limit Attempts by BestWebSoft – WordPress Anti-Bot and Security Plugin for Login and Forms 4K+ · 4.6★ (37)
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 User IP and Location 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #8 12 too high 21 
DoLogin Security 7K+ · 4.5★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #15 6 too high 22 
Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 S Show Visitor IP 300+ · 3.6★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #14 9 too high 24 
GranTech IP Firewall for AbuseIPDB 50+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #20 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.