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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “mobile verification”

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 “mobile verification”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Academic Certificate Verification – Certificate Management & Certificate Validator shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 80+ 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

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #3 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 miniOrange OTP Login, Verification and SMS Notifications 5K+ · 4.7★ (439) wp.org #1 2 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #7 ↓1 5 too low 3 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #12 9 too low 4 SMS Alert – SMS Notifications & OTP Login, COD Verification, Abandoned Cart Recovery 3K+ · 4.6★ (35) wp.org #5 ↑3 1 too low 5 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #8 ↑12 3 too low 6 Identity Verification for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #4 ↑3 2 too high 7 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 OTP Login With Phone Number, OTP Verification 1K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #6 ↓2 2 too high 9 Orion SMS OTP Verification. 200+ · 4.8★ (119) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #11 ↑10 1 too low 11 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too low 12 Advanced Age Verification Popup 700+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #2 ↑1 10 too high 13 Fastest Age Verification 400+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #3 ↑2 10 too high 14 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #21 ↓2 6 too low 16 Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too low 17 Form Maker by 10Web – Mobile-Friendly Drag & Drop Contact Form Builder 30K+ · 4.5★ (778) wp.org #20 ↑2 3 too low 18 Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory 9K+ · 4.8★ (138) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 OTP Login & Register Woocommerce 1K+ · 4.6★ (44) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too high 20 Double Opt-In for Contact Form 7 – Secure, GDPR-Compliant Email Verification 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #19 ↓3 1 too high 21 ZeroBounce Email Verification & Validation 900+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too high 22 Academic Certificate Verification – Certificate Management & Certificate Validator 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↑2 13 too high 23 Certify – Certificate Management & Verification 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Gravity Forms – OTP Verification (SMS/EMAIL) 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓5 9 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.