wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “recaptcha security”

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 “recaptcha security”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 3 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

UsersWP – ReCaptcha shows at wp.org #15 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 2144 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #1 2

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #2 3

Advanced Google reCAPTCHA 200K+ · 4.8★ (430) wp.org #3 4

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #4 5

Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992) wp.org #5 6

Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #6 7

Invisible reCaptcha 70K+ · 4.3★ (133) wp.org #7 8

reCaptcha by BestWebSoft 100K+ · 3.9★ (391) wp.org #11 3 too low 9

reCAPTCHA for WooCommerce 40K+ · 4.6★ (76) wp.org #10 1 too low 10

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #18 8 too low 11

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #19 7 too low 13

Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 5K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #13 ↑2 14

Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #17 3 too low 15

Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #22 ↑1 7 too low 16

CAPTCHA 4WP – Antispam CAPTCHA solution for WordPress 100K+ · 3.2★ (269) wp.org #24 7 too low 18

Atlant Security 700+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #12 6 too high 19

LukasApps CAPTCHA tools for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.1★ (48) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 2 too low 20

BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too high 21

CF7 Invisible reCAPTCHA 6K+ · 3.1★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #20 1 too high 22

reCAPTCHA for Asgaros Forum 4K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #16 6 too high 23

Power Captcha reCAPTCHA 900+ · 4.3★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓1 24

UsersWP – ReCaptcha 3K+ · 4.5★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓1 9 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.