Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “obfuscate”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

JavaScript Obfuscator shows at wp.org #8 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 60+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

URL Shortify – Simple and Easy URL Shortener places #5 on merit, 4.7★ from 169 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #1 2 DTX – Dynamic Text Extension for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.7★ (99) wp.org #2 3 WPMasterToolKit (WPMTK) – All in one plugin 5K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WP Coder – Insert & Manage Code Snippets 10K+ · 4.9★ (32) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 URL Shortify – Simple and Easy URL Shortener 10K+ · 4.7★ (169) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 Pixeline’s Email Protector 900+ · 4.3★ (8) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Email Address Obfuscation 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 AntiSpam for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Link Juice Optimizer 5K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 ↓1 10 too low 10 Activity Guard – Security Scanner, Activity Log with IP blocking 30+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 11 too low 11 oik 2K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 SecureFusion – Security and Firewall by Fyndsoft 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 Email No Bot – Prevent bots from detecting emails 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 Version Cloak 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 UltimaKit – Admin Enhancements, Security, Optimization & Site Tweaks 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 JavaScript Obfuscator 60+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Protect My Infos 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↑1 3 too high 18 Contact Camo 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 All-in-One Content Restriction – Conditional Content Visibility & Access Control for WordPress 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too high 20 24TT Login Security and Brander 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 RationalCleanup 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 bbboing 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 INI Protector 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↑2 5 too high 24 Font Type Tester 30+ · 0.0★ (0) 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.