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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “redaction”

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 “redaction”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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.

Ranked above its merit

Olark Live Chat shows at wp.org #15 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.5★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security places #2 on merit, 4.7★ from 5039 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 wp.org
1 GAinWP Google Analytics Integration for WP 7K+ · 4.8★ (126) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #18 ↓2 16 too low 3 Who Changed It? – Activity Log & Audit Trail 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 E Eyes Only 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 3 too high 5 TextBulker (IA Redaction) 2K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 Structure Viewer – AI Context Builder, Code Search & MCP Tools 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 BaqFlo – RedAction — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 DevDome Malware Scanner – WordPress Malware Removal & Security Scanner 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 Cookie Confirm CMP 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too high 10 SAC Database Inspector 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 Profound Agent Analytics 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 12 DevDome Bot Protection: Bot Blocker and AI Crawler Control 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 ServicePress Connector Core 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓2 1 too low 14 NapolAI Connector 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 DevDome Admin Cleaner: Remove Dashboard Widgets and Hide Menu Items 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too low 16 FatalGuard – PHP Error Log Viewer, Debug Log & Fatal Error Alerts 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Starline Conflict Inspector – WP Debug Log, Error Inspector & Plugin Conflict Solver — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too low 18 Scrubwell – Hides Emails & Phone Numbers in Comments — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 KloudStack Observability for Azure 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓3 2 too low 20 Zen MCP Bridge 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓3 2 too low 21 SproutOS – Create Creative Sites with AI 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 2 too low 22 Olark Live Chat 1K+ · 2.5★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓2 7 too high 23 Gracewell Backup Manager — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 BANKpay+ Instant Bank Payments for WooCommerce (EUR) 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓2 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.