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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “like comment”

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 “like comment”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 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

Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools shows at wp.org #5 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 8K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.1★ average from 15 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 1720 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Comments Like Dislike 4K+ · 4.6★ (38) wp.org #1 2 Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281) wp.org #2 3 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #10 6 too low 5 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 WP ULike – Like Buttons, Voting & Engagement Analytics 60K+ · 4.8★ (283) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 Posts Like Dislike 5K+ · 4.3★ (23) wp.org #4 ↓1 3 too high 8 Like Button Rating ♥ LikeBtn 3K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Simple Comment Editing 2K+ · 4.8★ (55) wp.org #9 10 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #21 10 too low 12 Easy Social Like Box – Popup – Sidebar Widget 6K+ · 4.4★ (18) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) wp.org #5 8 too high 14 Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too low 15 Comment Reply Email Notification 3K+ · 4.8★ (33) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Disqus Comment System 30K+ · 2.7★ (219) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 Disable Comments & Delete All Comments 9K+ · 5.0★ (41) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 WP Comment Cleaner – Delete All Comments, Disable Comments, Bulk Delete & Remove Comments 20K+ · 4.7★ (58) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 Social Like Box and Page by WpDevArt 5K+ · 4.2★ (88) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 Comments – GraphComment | AI-Moderated Comment System 400+ · 4.7★ (30) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Solid Post Likes 500+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Comment Form WP – Customize Default Comment Form 600+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too high 23 Comment Blacklist Updater 800+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 WP Comment Notification 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24

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.