wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “limits”
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 “limits”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 5 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
MaxLimits – Increase Maximum Upload, Post & PHP Limits shows at wp.org #4 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 5209 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 Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488)
wp.org #1 2 
WPS Limit Login 100K+ · 4.9★ (83)
wp.org #2 3 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #7 ↓2 4 too low 4 
Min Max Quantities – Set Minimum/Maximum Quantity & Price Limits with Step Control for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (60) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 
EasyMedia – Increase Media Upload File Size | Role-Based Upload Limit | Increase Execution Time 70K+ · 4.9★ (99)
wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #14 ↑1 8 too low 7 
WP Limit Login Attempts 10K+ · 4.6★ (300)
wp.org #11 4 too low 8 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too low 9 
Min Max Step Quantity Limits Manager for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.9★ (51) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too high 10 
Order Minimum/Maximum Amount Limits for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (40) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑1 5 too high 11 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓4 1 too low 12 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #21 ↓9 9 too low 13 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #23 ↓5 10 too low 14 
Advanced File Manager – Ultimate File Manager for WordPress And Document Library Solution 100K+ · 4.8★ (441)
wp.org #22 8 too low 15 
Loggedin – Session Manager, Limit Concurrent Logins & Force Logout 8K+ · 4.9★ (112)
wp.org #17 2 too low 16 
User Posts Limit 3K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑1 7 too high 17 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
Squeeze – Browser-Based Image Compression & WebP Converter (No API, No Limits) 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #10 8 too high 19 MaxLimits – Increase Maximum Upload, Post & PHP Limits 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↓1 15 too high 20 
FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35)
wp.org #20 21 
Order Limit for WooCommerce (Free Version) 800+ · 4.2★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 5 too high 22 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 
PiWeb Min/Max Quantity & Minimum Order Limits for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.3★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓4 1 too low 24 
Spending Limits for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #13 11 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.