wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “personal data request”
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 “personal data request”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 5 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
GDPRess | Eliminate external requests to increase GDPR compliance shows at wp.org #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 3221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #8. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too low 2 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
GDPR Data Request Form 5K+ · 4.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #8 ↓2 4 too low 5 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #4 2 too high 7 
Redirection for Contact Form 7 200K+ · 4.7★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too low 10 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #12 ↑4 2 too low 11 
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1489)
wp.org #14 ↓11 3 too low 12 
FlexTable – Data Table Sync with Google Sheets 3K+ · 4.6★ (35)
wp.org #7 ↑8 5 too high 13 
Cookie Compliance for WordPress – Cookie Consent, GDPR & CCPA 800K+ · 4.8★ (3026)
wp.org #20 7 too low 14 
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #22 8 too low 15 
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358)
wp.org #23 ↓12 8 too low 16 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #15 ↓5 1 too high 17 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓9 1 too high 18 
Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167)
wp.org #21 ↑1 3 too low 19 
LitExtension – Automated Store Migration & Import 1K+ · 4.8★ (51)
wp.org #19 20 
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 GDPRess | Eliminate external requests to increase GDPR compliance 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 12 too high 22 
hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88)
wp.org #24 ↓7 2 too low 23 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 10 too high 24 
Chart Block – Visualize Data with Bar, Line, Pie Charts 1K+ · 4.8★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓3 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.