wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “protected post”
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 post”, 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
Customize Private & Protected: Password Form & Prefix shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Contextual Related Posts places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 201 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.
Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142)
wp.org #1 2 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #2 3 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #3 4 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #13 6 too low 8 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #8 9 
Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475)
wp.org #17 8 too low 10 
PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271)
wp.org #22 12 too low 11 Contextual Related Posts 50K+ · 4.8★ (201)
wp.org #24 13 too low 12 
W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94)
wp.org #20 8 too low 13 
Protected Video 1K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #10 3 too high 14 
hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88)
wp.org #21 7 too low 15 
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #6 9 too high 16 
Pay For Post with WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (53)
wp.org #19 3 too low 17 
Peter's Post Notes – Admin Notes for Posts and Pages 3K+ · 4.9★ (26)
wp.org #18 1 too low 18 
WPEPP – Essential Security, Password Protect & Login Page Customizer 3K+ · 4.1★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #14 4 too high 19 
Multiple Post Passwords 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #16 3 too high 20 
WP Ultimate Post Grid 4K+ · 4.4★ (32)
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 
Post Lockdown 1K+ · 4.6★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #11 10 too high 22 Customize Private & Protected: Password Form & Prefix 400+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #9 13 too high 23 
Export Single Post Page 3K+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #15 8 too high 24 H Hidden Password Protected Pages 600+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #12 12 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.