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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “protected page timer”

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 “protected page timer”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Radio Player Page shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Recipe Maker places #10 on merit, 5.0★ from 356 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #1 2 PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271) wp.org #2 3 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #3 4 Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601) wp.org #4 5 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #5 6 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2052) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too low 9 CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes 200K+ · 4.7★ (326) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too low 10 WP Recipe Maker 50K+ · 5.0★ (356) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too low 11 ShopLentor – All-in-One WooCommerce Growth & Store Enhancement Plugin 80K+ · 4.5★ (278) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 Media Library Folders 10K+ · 4.3★ (465) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 too low 13 Element Pack Addons for Elementor – MCP & AI-Ready Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates, Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.7★ (284) wp.org #19 ↓1 6 too low 14 SilentShield – Captcha & Anti-Spam for WordPress (CF7, WPForms, Elementor, WooCommerce) 10K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 WowStore – Store Builder & Product Blocks for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.6★ (113) wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 Popup builder with Gamification, Multi-Step Popups, Page-Level Targeting, and WooCommerce Triggers 70K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 Magical Shop Builder – WooCommerce Template Builder for Elementor | Shop, Cart, Checkout & Product Page Builder 3K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too high 18 Radio Player Page 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #6 12 too high 19 Intranet & Private Site – All-In-One Intranet 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 EventON – Events Calendar 6K+ · 4.1★ (44) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21 Spexo Addons for Elementor – Elementor Widgets, Mega Menu, Popup Builder, Template Kits and Starter Templates for Elementor 6K+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 MC Protected Page Upgrade 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too high 23 PressGo AI — Landing Page & Website Builder for Elementor 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Clicks Manual Payment Gateways for Pakistan 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 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.