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

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 show”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 of the top 20. 3 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 #6 but places #21 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

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #5 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Server IP & Memory Usage Display 20K+ · 4.9★ (40) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #12 8 too low 5 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #17 12 too low 6 Geolocation IP Detection 20K+ · 4.7★ (59) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #15 8 too low 8 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #16 8 too low 9 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 User IP and Location 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #4 6 too high 11 Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1489) wp.org #23 12 too low 12 Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #20 8 too low 13 Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 Loginizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1033) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 S Show Visitor IP 300+ · 3.6★ (5) wp.org #3 12 too high 16 Show IP address 900+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Trace My IP – Visitor IP Tracker, Stats Analytics & Page Views Counter with Email Alerts 1K+ · 4.5★ (21) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 IP Geolocation 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 11 too high 19 Current Year, Symbols and IP Shortcode 10K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 WP Show Site by IP 50+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 9 too high 21 IP Locator 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 15 too high 22 GranTech IP Firewall for AbuseIPDB 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 Easy IP Blocker 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 13 too high 24 IP Address Widget II 100+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #21 3 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.