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

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 “maxmind”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 3 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

Lightweight Cookie Notice – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent shows at wp.org #5 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 5K+ 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

YayCurrency – WooCommerce Multi-Currency Switcher places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 114 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #1 2 Geolocation IP Detection 20K+ · 4.7★ (59) wp.org #2 3 iQ Block Country 20K+ · 3.9★ (166) wp.org #3 4 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too low 5 IP Location Block 10K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #4 ↑7 1 too high 6 FAZ Cookie Manager 3K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 SlimStat Analytics – Real-Time Stats, Heatmaps & Ecommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (816) wp.org #10 ↓4 3 too low 8 Visibility Logic for Elementor 20K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #15 ↓2 7 too low 9 SureCookie – GDPR Cookie Consent Banner, Cookie Scanner & Script Blocking 70K+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too low 10 AdRotate Banner Manager 20K+ · 4.3★ (655) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too low 11 StoreEngine — Complete eCommerce Solution with Memberships, Licensing, Affiliates & More 700+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 YayCurrency – WooCommerce Multi-Currency Switcher 7K+ · 4.8★ (114) wp.org #20 8 too low 13 Atlant Security 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too high 14 Lightweight Cookie Notice – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent 5K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 ↓1 9 too high 15 Country Based Restrictions for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.5★ (52) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 Payment forms, Buy now buttons, and Invoicing System | GetPaid 5K+ · 4.5★ (46) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #17 ↑1 18 Advanced GeoIP Redirect 900+ · 3.6★ (11) wp.org #13 ↑1 5 too high 19 Advanced Country Blocker 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #14 ↓4 5 too high 20 AntiSpam for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21 Country Block – Ultimate Geo-Blocker, IP Ban & Login Security 100+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too high 22 Lead info with country for Contact Form 7 3K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #24 ↓2 2 too low 23 ZenMarkup Privacy Analytics 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓7 24 J JTZL's Bot Maze 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 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.