wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ip user tools”
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 user tools”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
GDPR Tools: comment ip removement shows at wp.org #4 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 3220 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #8 ↓3 4 too low 5 
Stop User Enumeration 60K+ · 4.9★ (132)
wp.org #6 ↑3 1 too low 6 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913)
wp.org #12 ↓2 5 too low 8 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668)
wp.org #10 ↑3 2 too low 9 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #14 ↓3 5 too low 10 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #17 ↑4 7 too low 11 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too low 12 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220)
wp.org #23 ↓4 11 too low 13 
User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112)
wp.org #13 ↑2 14 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #11 ↑7 3 too high 15 
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #24 ↓1 9 too low 16 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #18 ↓6 2 too low 17 
User IP and Location 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↓1 12 too high 18 
ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236) not PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too low 19 
Geolocation IP Detection 20K+ · 4.7★ (59)
wp.org #20 ↑2 1 too low 20 GDPR Tools: comment ip removement 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #4 16 too high 21 
Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #21 22 
LWS Tools 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 13 too high 23 
LukasApps CAPTCHA tools for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.1★ (48) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↑2 1 too high 24 
IP Locator 500+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑1 8 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.