wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “mailto”
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 “mailto”, 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
Mobile Call Buttons shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 600+ 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
Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme places #7 on merit, 4.5★ from 391 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94)
wp.org #1 2 
Email Address Encoder 100K+ · 4.2★ (160)
wp.org #2 3 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 
Shariff Wrapper 30K+ · 4.9★ (101)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Mobile Contact Bar 9K+ · 4.6★ (30)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144)
wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too low 7 Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme 20K+ · 4.5★ (391)
wp.org #16 ↑1 9 too low 8 
Nobs • Share Buttons 3K+ · 4.7★ (93)
wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 
Copy Anything to Clipboard for WordPress – Copy Button, Copy Text & Copy Code 10K+ · 4.5★ (36)
wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 
WPUpper Share Buttons 4K+ · 4.9★ (196)
wp.org #19 9 too low 11 
CryptX 10K+ · 4.5★ (20) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #6 5 too high 12 
Publitio Offloading 100+ · 5.0★ (34)
wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13 
Infinity23 (Formerly Tag Manager) – One Plugin That Replaces All The Rest 20K+ · 4.7★ (53)
wp.org #18 5 too low 14 
Pixeline’s Email Protector 900+ · 4.3★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑1 7 too high 15 
User Activity Tracking and Log 2K+ · 3.5★ (34)
wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too high 16 
WP Mailto Links – Protect Email Addresses 7K+ · 4.6★ (33) closure risk
wp.org #21 ↓1 5 too low 17 
Email Address Obfuscation 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 9 too high 18 
Cryptex | E-Mail Address Protection 800+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too high 19 
Turnkey bbPress by WeaverTheme 300+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↑1 4 too low 20 
Business Card Block – present your team and contact info in style 1K+ · 4.3★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑1 21 
String Replacer 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 Mobile Call Buttons 600+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #9 13 too high 23 
Crypto Mailto Defender — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #22 1 too high 24 
LinkNate – Contact & Custom Link Shortcodes 30+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 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.