wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “page comments”
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 “page comments”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Page Visits Counter – Lite shows at wp.org #7 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Website Builder by SeedProd — Theme Builder, Landing Page Builder, Coming Soon Page, Maintenance Mode places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 4699 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281)
wp.org #2 3 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #4 ↑6 1 too low 4 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220)
wp.org #9 ↓2 5 too low 5 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89)
wp.org #5 6 
Comments – wpDiscuz 60K+ · 4.7★ (581) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↓2 7 
Disable Comments 100K+ · 3.8★ (25)
wp.org #3 4 too high 8 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too low 9 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #10 ↑2 1 too low 10 
Disable Comments & Delete All Comments 9K+ · 5.0★ (41)
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271)
wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too low 12 Website Builder by SeedProd — Theme Builder, Landing Page Builder, Coming Soon Page, Maintenance Mode 600K+ · 4.9★ (4699)
wp.org #24 ↓3 12 too low 13 
No Page Comment 10K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓2 14 
Comments Import & Export 2K+ · 4.9★ (68)
wp.org #18 ↓2 4 too low 15 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #21 ↓2 6 too low 16 
Ajaxify Comments – Ajax and Lazy Loading Comments 3K+ · 4.8★ (91)
wp.org #20 ↓3 4 too low 17 
Genial Comments 4K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #15 2 too high 18 
Greenshift – animation and page builder blocks 70K+ · 4.8★ (107) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 Page Visits Counter – Lite 5K+ · 4.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 12 too high 20 
Comments Like Dislike 4K+ · 4.6★ (38)
wp.org #23 ↓5 3 too low 21 
Duplicate Page and Post 70K+ · 4.6★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 7 too high 22 
ActiveLayer Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for Forms & Comments 10K+ · 4.9★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #22 23 
Simply Disable Comments 8K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑1 11 too high 24 S Subscribe to Comments 10K+ · 3.9★ (14) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #17 7 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.