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

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 “passcode”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 18 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

ZD Embed for Zoom Meeting SDK shows at wp.org #10 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its — 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

Video Conferencing with Zoom places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 217 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Kit (formerly ConvertKit) – Email Newsletter, Email Marketing, Membership, Subscribers and Landing Pages 40K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Rublon Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) 400+ · 4.2★ (88) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Jovvie Point of Sale POS for WooCommerce 100+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Video Conferencing with Zoom 10K+ · 4.8★ (217) wp.org #19 15 too low 5 Duo Two-Factor Authentication 3K+ · 3.7★ (39) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Speedx – Maintenance Mode 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 RSVP and Event Management 3K+ · 4.4★ (58) wp.org #17 10 too low 8 ZooMeet – Meeting & Webinar Integration for Zoom 20+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 VikBooking Hotel Booking Engine & PMS 8K+ · 4.8★ (61) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 Quick Download Button 1K+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #23 13 too low 11 Customer Email Verification for WooCommerce – OTP Verification, Block Fake Signups 2K+ · 4.2★ (20) wp.org #24 13 too low 12 LoginArmor – Email 2FA 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 7 too high 13 A APRS Passcode Generator 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 GatePass – Password Protect Pages, Posts, Entire Site & WooCommerce for WordPress 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 Delowar OTP Login and Two-Factor Authentication — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 Sitebix StoryMode — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 Events Manager – Zoom Integration 600+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 ZD Embed for Zoom Meeting SDK — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 FactorGuard – Two-Factor Authentication — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 CFPro OTP Verification — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 CleanVerify for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 SSV SmartPay Pay By Bank — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 DominoForm – Advanced Contact Form, Polls, Survey & Quiz Builder — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 The Mobile Wallet — · 0.0★ (0) 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.