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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “lockdown”

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 “lockdown”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 2 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

Site Lockdown Security for MainWP shows at wp.org #4 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 80+ 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

Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall places #5 on merit, 4.5★ from 372 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Login Lockdown & Protection 100K+ · 4.3★ (61) wp.org #1 2 Remove Dashboard Access 30K+ · 4.6★ (78) wp.org #6 4 too low 3 Post Lockdown 1K+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Advanced IP Blocker 2K+ · 4.8★ (25) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (372) wp.org #14 9 too low 6 Conditional Blocks – Advanced Content Visibility Control for WordPress 2K+ · 4.9★ (15) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 SecuPress with Simple SSL – Simple and Performant Security 40K+ · 4.1★ (107) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 AJAX Login and Registration modal popup + inline form 3K+ · 4.7★ (120) wp.org #16 8 too low 9 Site Lockdown Security 700+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #3 6 too high 10 WP EXtra – One Click Optimize 6K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #15 5 too low 11 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 2K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 MyCryptoCheckout – Bitcoin, Ethereum, and 100+ altcoins for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.3★ (49) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 Ebook Store 700+ · 4.4★ (60) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 简数采集器 1K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 Intranet & Private Site – All-In-One Intranet 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Site Lockdown Security for MainWP 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 12 too high 17 Atlant Security 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 MyNew Registration Lockdown 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 9 too high 19 X XMLRPC Lockdown by AO Digital 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Adminkeep – Email Log, Custom CSS, Disable Comments, Site Lockdown & Admin Enhancements 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 Holographic Client Lockdown — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Brightery File Lockdown — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Cleverhog Malware Scanner 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 Delta Dev Comment Lockdown — · 0.0★ (0) 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.