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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “pdf password”

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 “pdf password”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 4 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

PDF Password Protect shows at wp.org #2 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 200+ 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

AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 874 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 PDF Ink Lite – Free PDF Watermark & Password Protection 2K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #1 2 PDF & Print by BestWebSoft – WordPress Posts and Pages PDF Generator Plugin 9K+ · 3.9★ (102) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 PDF Builder for WooCommerce. Create invoices,packing slips and more 2K+ · 4.7★ (145) wp.org #8 ↓3 5 too low 4 3D FlipBook – PDF Embedder, PDF Flipbook Viewer, Flipbook Image Gallery 70K+ · 4.8★ (182) wp.org #11 7 too low 5 Fluent PDF Generator 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 B BSK PDF Manager 7K+ · 4.5★ (46) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too high 7 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #20 13 too low 8 Print, PDF & Email by PrintFriendly 20K+ · 3.8★ (237) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too high 9 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #16 ↓2 7 too low 10 PDF Generator for WordPress 1K+ · 4.6★ (39) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 Generate PDF using Contact Form 7 4K+ · 4.7★ (40) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 Bit Form – Contact Form, Payment Forms, Multi Step Forms, Calculator & Custom Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (259) wp.org #21 9 too low 13 Embed Any Document – Embed PDF, Word, PowerPoint and Excel Files 50K+ · 4.2★ (92) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #22 ↓4 8 too low 15 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #24 ↓5 9 too low 16 Print My Blog – Print, PDF, & eBook Converter WordPress Plugin 8K+ · 4.8★ (115) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 PDF Password Protect 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 15 too high 18 Flipa PDF Flipbook – PDF Viewer and Page Flip Book 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 WebEquipe PDF Search 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↓3 4 too high 20 Rapls PDF Image Creator – PDF Thumbnails & Featured Images 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Download PDF After Submit Form 400+ · 3.2★ (6) wp.org #23 ↓3 2 too low 22 Simple Password Protect 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 10 too high 23 Watermark PDF for WordPress and WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 PDF for Forminator Forms + Drag and Drop Template Builder 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↑2 11 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.