wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “proxy detection”

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 “proxy detection”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 5 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

Fense Block Vpn & Proxy shows at wp.org #5 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 70+ 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

WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection places #12 on merit, 4.6★ from 213 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Proxy & VPN Blocker 1K+ · 3.8★ (33) wp.org #1 2

Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #4 2 too low 3

Geolocation IP Detection 20K+ · 4.7★ (59) wp.org #3 4

WP Encryption: Easy HTTPS / SSL & Free SSL certificate, HTTPS redirect 50K+ · 4.9★ (1146) wp.org #9 5 too low 5

Proxy Cache Purge 50K+ · 4.4★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #2 3 too high 6

WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #11 5 too low 7

Spam Protection | Maspik 30K+ · 4.7★ (87) wp.org #7 8

Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1489) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9

Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #6 3 too high 10

Antispam Bee 700K+ · 4.8★ (226) wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11

Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (386) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #8 3 too high 12

WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection 10K+ · 4.6★ (213) wp.org #19 7 too low 13

IP2Location Country Blocker 30K+ · 4.1★ (128) not PHP-current wp.org #18 5 too low 14

Nginx Helper 200K+ · 4.4★ (31) wp.org #15 1 too low 15

VPN Guard – Block VPN, Proxy, Bots & Anonymous Visitors 200+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #10 5 too high 16

Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #22 6 too low 17

Zero Spam for WordPress 20K+ · 4.1★ (143) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #23 6 too low 18

Geo Controller – Geolocation & Geotargeting 1K+ · 4.4★ (31) wp.org #24 6 too low 19

Checkout Shield for WooCommerce – Stop Fake Orders, Spam Bots & Card Testing 400+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↑2 5 too high 20

BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #16 ↓4 4 too high 21

FraudLabs Pro for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.2★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23

Fense Block Vpn & Proxy 70+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #5 18 too high 24

Easy IP Blocker 400+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #17 7 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.