wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “right”
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 “right”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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
Bitron Right of Withdrawal shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Max Mega Menu places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 882 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.
No Right Click Images 20K+ · 4.7★ (52)
wp.org #1 2 
Disabled Source, Disabled Right Click and Content Protection 10K+ · 4.9★ (103)
wp.org #2 ↑2 3 
WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1138)
wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too low 4 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #8 ↓3 4 too low 5 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too high 7 
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too low 9 
Disable Right Click RB – Content Copy Protection, Prevent Copy & No Right Click 600+ · 4.2★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↑5 6 too high 10 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #11 1 too low 11 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too low 12 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #20 ↑2 8 too low 13 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #23 ↓3 10 too low 14 
PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too low 15 
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #22 ↓4 7 too low 16 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #19 3 too low 17 
Document Viewer – let visitors view files right in the browser 2K+ · 4.7★ (52)
wp.org #17 ↓2 18 B Bitron Right of Withdrawal 400+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↑1 12 too high 19 
Right Click Ban – Disable Right Click & Content Copy Protection 400+ · 4.3★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #9 10 too high 20 
Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↑3 1 too low 21 
EU Consumer Rights for WooCommerce – Guarantee Notice, GARAN Label, Withdrawal Button, Right to Repair, Omnibus Price & GPSR 200+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↑3 8 too high 22 
Simple Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓3 2 too low 23 
PDF Embed Block – share documents right inside your posts 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too high 24 
Right Click Disable for Secure 60+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 8 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.