Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “referer spam”

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 “referer spam”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 4 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

Statify Filter shows at wp.org #3 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 2K+ 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

wpForo Forum places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 390 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too low 3 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #7 ↑2 4 too low 4 Block Referer Spam 500+ · 3.4★ (21) wp.org #1 3 too high 5 La Sentinelle antispam 3K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (386) wp.org #6 ↑1 7 Statify 100K+ · 4.8★ (51) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 wpForo Forum 20K+ · 4.7★ (390) wp.org #14 ↑2 6 too low 9 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #8 ↑3 1 too high 10 SEO Engine – Smart SEO with AI, Schema & Redirection for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #12 ↑3 2 too low 11 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too high 12 BuddyPress Members Only 900+ · 3.7★ (26) wp.org #20 ↑2 8 too low 13 Statify Filter 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 ↑1 10 too high 14 Social Login, Passkeys, Magic Link & Email OTP – Passwordless Login by VentraConnect 90+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too low 15 Analytical Spam Filter 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too high 16 Init Void Shield – Zero-DB, Honeypot, Anti-Spam 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↑5 1 too high 17 Log-Hero.com Plugin 40+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too low 18 Bot Protector for PayPal for WooCommerce 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too high 19 Smart Traffic Source Filter for WordPress — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↑2 20 R Referer Spam Blocker 60+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↑1 9 too high 21 Leadite 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↑2 1 too low 22 Codesala SEO Content Engine 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 BusinessPress 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑2 2 too high 24 Ananyoo Accessible Forms – Contact Form & Entry Storage 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.