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

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 security”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 3 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 Viewer Block for Gutenberg shows at wp.org #10 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

3D FlipBook – PDF Embedder, PDF Flipbook Viewer, Flipbook Image Gallery places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 182 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #1 2

PDF Embedder – PDF Viewer & Embed PDF Files for WordPress 300K+ · 4.7★ (529) wp.org #2 3

DearFlip – PDF Flipbook, 3D Flipbook, PDF embed, PDF viewer 200K+ · 4.9★ (194) wp.org #4 1 too low 4

FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #3 1 too high 5

PDF Ink Lite – Free PDF Watermark & Password Protection 2K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6

PDF Poster – Let visitors read PDF’s without leaving the page 20K+ · 4.5★ (149) not PHP-current wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7

PDF & Print by BestWebSoft – WordPress Posts and Pages PDF Generator Plugin 9K+ · 3.9★ (102) wp.org #7 ↑1 8

Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #11 3 too low 9

Fluent PDF Generator 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #5 ↑1 4 too high 10

3D FlipBook – PDF Embedder, PDF Flipbook Viewer, Flipbook Image Gallery 70K+ · 4.8★ (182) wp.org #22 ↑1 12 too low 11

PDF Builder for WooCommerce. Create invoices,packing slips and more 2K+ · 4.7★ (145) wp.org #19 ↓2 8 too low 12

DK PDF – WordPress PDF Generator 3K+ · 4.5★ (44) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13

Real3D Flipbook – 3D Flipbook, PDF Flipbook, PDF Viewer, PDF Embedder 10K+ · 4.5★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #9 4 too high 14 B BSK PDF Manager 7K+ · 4.5★ (46) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #12 2 too high 15

Print, PDF & Email by PrintFriendly 20K+ · 3.8★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 ↓2 16

Cookies and Content Security Policy 10K+ · 4.9★ (67) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 ↓1 17

PDF Viewer Block for Gutenberg 10K+ · 4.8★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #10 7 too high 18

Generate PDF using Contact Form 7 4K+ · 4.7★ (40) wp.org #20 2 too low 19

PDF Generator for WordPress 1K+ · 4.6★ (39) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #14 5 too high 20

PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce – Challan 7K+ · 4.6★ (47) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too high 21

CopySafe PDF Protection – Copy Protect PDF 300+ · 3.9★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #24 3 too low 22

Flipa PDF Flipbook – PDF Viewer and Page Flip Book 800+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23

PDF for WPForms + Drag and Drop Template Builder 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #23 ↑1 24

PDF Embed Block – share documents right inside your posts 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓1 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.