wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “private content”
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 “private content”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
MAS Static Content shows at wp.org #10 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 10K+ 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
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 3220 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.
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #1 2 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 P Private groups 1K+ · 4.9★ (49) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↑2 1 too high 4 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #5 ↓3 1 too low 5 
Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142)
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 
My Private Site – Make Your Whole Site Private, Force Login & Block Registration Spam 10K+ · 4.5★ (82) not PHP-current
wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too high 7 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #8 ↑2 1 too low 8 
User Private Files – Secure File Sharing and Client Portal Plugin 1K+ · 4.4★ (57)
wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too high 9 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #13 ↓8 4 too low 10 
Disabled Source, Disabled Right Click and Content Protection 10K+ · 4.9★ (103)
wp.org #12 ↑6 2 too low 11 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #21 ↑3 10 too low 12 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220)
wp.org #24 ↓3 12 too low 13 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #22 ↑1 9 too low 14 
MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↑2 5 too high 15 
Content Egg – Affiliate Product Importer & Price Comparison 10K+ · 3.9★ (56) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 1 too high 16 
Client Portal – Private user pages and login 3K+ · 4.3★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓4 4 too low 17 
Intranet & Private Site – All-In-One Intranet 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
Private Google Calendars 1K+ · 4.8★ (23) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 
Content Update Scheduler 2K+ · 4.3★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 B BP Simple Private 400+ · 3.9★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too high 21 
Customize Private & Protected: Password Form & Prefix 400+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑2 3 too high 22 MAS Static Content 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 12 too high 23 
Private Website – Login Required 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑4 12 too high 24 
Private Store for WooCommerce B2B & Wholesale by B2BKing 600+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑3 9 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.