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

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 “require”, we agree with wp.org 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.

R

Ranked above its merit

Require Login for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 1071 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 wp.org
1 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #1 2 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) wp.org #2 3 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #3 ↓2 4 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406) wp.org #10 ↓4 3 too low 8 Force Login 30K+ · 4.8★ (101) wp.org #9 ↑6 1 too low 9 PublishPress Checklists: Pre-Publishing Approval Checklist – Validate Post Requirements 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #6 ↑2 3 too high 10 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #13 ↓4 3 too low 11 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #18 ↓4 7 too low 12 Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071) wp.org #20 8 too low 13 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668) wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too low 14 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #21 ↑1 7 too low 15 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #22 ↓3 7 too low 16 SearchWP Live Ajax Search 40K+ · 4.7★ (36) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too high 17 Breadcrumb NavXT 800K+ · 4.6★ (132) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too high 18 R Require Login for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #8 ↓3 10 too high 19 WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) wp.org #11 ↓1 8 too high 20 WPC Smart Compare for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (44) wp.org #23 ↓5 3 too low 21 W WP Required Taxonomies – Categories and Tags Mandatory 1K+ · 4.1★ (8) wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 SiteGuard WP Plugin 600K+ · 4.3★ (15) wp.org #15 ↓3 7 too high 23 Require & Limit Categories, Tags, Featured Image and taxonomies 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 7 too high 24 Private Website – Login Required 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑2 5 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.