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

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 pages”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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.

H

Ranked above its merit

Hidden Password Protected Pages shows at wp.org #3 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142) wp.org #1 2 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #2 3 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 I Insert Pages 30K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #4 5 PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 WP Sitemap Page 200K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too low 7 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #20 ↓2 12 too low 9 CMS Tree Page View – Reorder Pages with a Drag-and-Drop Tree 50K+ · 4.9★ (365) wp.org #19 ↓2 10 too low 10 LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer 200K+ · 4.8★ (1077) wp.org #17 ↓3 7 too low 11 Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) wp.org #12 ↑8 1 too low 12 WPEPP – Essential Security, Password Protect & Login Page Customizer 3K+ · 4.1★ (19) wp.org #6 ↑1 6 too high 13 Asset CleanUp: Page Speed Booster 100K+ · 4.9★ (1564) wp.org #23 ↓2 10 too low 14 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too low 15 Protected Video 1K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #8 7 too high 16 Loco Translate 1M+ · 4.8★ (453) wp.org #21 ↓2 5 too low 17 Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer 500K+ · 4.5★ (81) wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too high 18 Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 H Hidden Password Protected Pages 600+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 16 too high 20 WPLP Cookie Consent – Cookie Banner & Consent Management for GDPR, CCPA & Google Consent Mode 9K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21 Customize Private & Protected: Password Form & Prefix 400+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #9 12 too high 22 Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) wp.org #14 8 too high 23 Export Single Post Page 3K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 Password Protected Site and Store 90+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↓2 6 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.