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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “probe”

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 “probe”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

RushVue SEO AI Search Readiness shows at wp.org #10 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 100+ 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning 30K+ · 4.8★ (1039) wp.org #1 2 Stop User Enumeration 60K+ · 4.9★ (132) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 404 Solution 10K+ · 4.9★ (44) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 xSpeed Cache: AI-Powered Performance Hub with MCP, Caching & CDN 10K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 Stop XML-RPC Attacks 6K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #2 4 too high 7 Atlant Security 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 Simple Disable XML-RPC 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 BitFire Security – Firewall, Malware Scanner, Bot Blocker, Login Protection 300+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #12 ↓3 3 too low 10 SiteFort Security – Malware Scanner, Firewall, Login Security & Hardening 50+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #15 ↓4 5 too low 11 Yandex Maps for Gutenberg 300+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 Smalk AI Analytics 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 ↓5 1 too low 13 O OneCode Login 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↓4 2 too high 14 EU AI Act Ready 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↓4 3 too low 15 RushVue SEO AI Search Readiness 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↓4 5 too high 16 Kodlo Media Manager 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓3 6 too low 17 V Viktor’s Login Probe Protection — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too high 18 Blocked in China | Check if your site is available in the Chinese mainland 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too high 19 CB Bot Guard 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 Version Cloak 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓2 21 Locktura Security 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↑1 2 too low 22 Securizer 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑3 3 too high 23 Activity Track – User Activity Log & Security Monitor 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 AcrossAI MCP Manager – WordPress MCP Server & Admin for MCP Adapter, Claude & ChatGPT 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓3

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.