wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “plugin integrity”
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 “plugin integrity”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
InTouch Integrity Guard shows at wp.org #10 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 10+ 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
Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 1039 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.
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708)
wp.org #1 2 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #2 3 
NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #8 3 too low 6 
Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (386)
wp.org #6 7 
Total Upkeep – WordPress Backup Plugin plus Restore & Migrate by BoldGrid 40K+ · 4.8★ (442)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect 50K+ · 4.9★ (1146)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (783)
wp.org #15 6 too low 10 
Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
NitroPack – Performance, Page Speed & Cache Plugin for Core Web Vitals, CDN & Image Optimization 80K+ · 4.3★ (311)
wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12 Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning 30K+ · 4.8★ (1039)
wp.org #24 ↓1 12 too low 13 
Cyr-To-Lat 300K+ · 4.7★ (98)
wp.org #13 ↓1 14 
Integrity Checker 200+ · 4.8★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #5 9 too high 15 
Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27)
wp.org #12 ↑2 3 too high 16 
iControlWP 900+ · 4.8★ (63)
wp.org #16 17 
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Username Changer 40K+ · 4.3★ (77)
wp.org #17 1 too high 19 
Security Ninja – WordPress Security & Firewall 7K+ · 4.7★ (101)
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 
Cyr to Lat Enhanced 80K+ · 4.6★ (51)
wp.org #23 ↓1 3 too low 21 
WCPOS – Point of Sale (POS) plugin for WooCommerce 5K+ · 3.7★ (84)
wp.org #19 2 too high 22 
NinjaScanner – Virus & Malware scan 40K+ · 4.0★ (36)
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 
atec Cache Info 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 InTouch Integrity Guard 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #10 14 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.