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

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 “requests”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

GDPRess | Eliminate external requests to increase GDPR compliance shows at wp.org #7 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 397 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. 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 #2 1 too low 2

HTTP Requests Manager 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #1 1 too high 3

Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #5 2 too low 4

NP Quote Request for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.6★ (87) wp.org #3 1 too high 5

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 L Log HTTP Requests 2K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #4 2 too high 7

WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #14 7 too low 8

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #16 ↑4 8 too low 9

GDPR Data Request Form 5K+ · 4.9★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #6 3 too high 10

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #18 ↓6 8 too low 11

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #20 ↓1 9 too low 12

ELEX WooCommerce Request a Quote 2K+ · 4.7★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #9 3 too high 13

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #23 ↓6 10 too low 14

PiWeb Cancel order / Refund request for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (39) wp.org #12 ↓4 2 too high 15

Request a Quote for WooCommerce – Get a Quote Button 6K+ · 5.0★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #8 ↓1 7 too high 16

Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current wp.org #15 1 too high 17

GDPRess | Eliminate external requests to increase GDPR compliance 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #7 ↓1 10 too high 18

Simple 301 Redirects by BetterLinks – Easy Redirect Manager 100K+ · 3.8★ (162) wp.org #24 6 too low 19

YITH Request a Quote for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.3★ (66) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 9 too high 20

Freight Shipping Quote – Simplify Shipping Cost Requests 300+ · 4.7★ (16) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too high 21

Simple Feature Requests Free – User Feedback Board 100+ · 4.0★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #13 8 too high 22

WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #22 ↓7 23

Changeloger – Changelog, Release Notes, Roadmap & Feature Requests 200+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓3 4 too high 24

Direct Invoices – Invoicing & Payment Requests for WordPress 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #21 3 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.