wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “limit items”
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 “limit items”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 6 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
Missing Menu Items shows at wp.org #4 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 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 #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Limit Attempts by BestWebSoft – WordPress Anti-Bot and Security Plugin for Login and Forms 4K+ · 4.6★ (37)
wp.org #1 2 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 
Order Limit for WooCommerce (Free Version) 800+ · 4.2★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #10 5 too low 6 
Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004)
wp.org #11 5 too low 7 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #13 6 too low 8 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 
Min Max Step Quantity Limits Manager for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.9★ (51) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 4 too high 10 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #15 5 too low 11 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #21 10 too low 12 
Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397)
wp.org #20 8 too low 13 
Min Max Quantities – Set Minimum/Maximum Quantity & Price Limits with Step Control for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (60) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 4 too high 14 
Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #22 8 too low 15 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 
Order Minimum/Maximum Amount Limits for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (40) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Missing Menu Items 100+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #4 13 too high 18 
WPC Product Bundles for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.4★ (220) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 4 too high 19 
FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35)
wp.org #16 3 too high 20 
Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 5 too high 23 
PiWeb Min/Max Quantity & Minimum Order Limits for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.3★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 B BASE Item List 700+ · 4.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #12 12 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.