wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “risk”
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 “risk”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
RiskPay Gateway: USDC Payouts for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #10 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 600+ 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
Temporary Login Without Password places #10 on merit, 5.0★ from 1550 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.
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709)
wp.org #1 2 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too low 3 
Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992)
wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (584) low rating, top placement
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940)
wp.org #6 ↓3 1 too low 6 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #4 2 too high 7 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #9 ↑3 1 too low 9 
WP Rollback – Rollback Plugins and Themes 200K+ · 4.9★ (215)
wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too low 10 Temporary Login Without Password 90K+ · 5.0★ (1550)
wp.org #18 ↑1 8 too low 11 
Tracking Code Manager 90K+ · 4.1★ (58)
wp.org #7 4 too high 12 
The GDPR Framework By Data443 10K+ · 4.8★ (65)
wp.org #12 ↓1 13 
String locator 100K+ · 4.6★ (125)
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334)
wp.org #19 ↑2 5 too low 15 
Equalize Digital Accessibility Checker – WCAG, ADA, EAA and Section 508 compliance 10K+ · 4.9★ (80)
wp.org #15 16 
File Manager Pro – Filester 100K+ · 4.9★ (155)
wp.org #17 1 too low 17 
Titan Anti-spam & Security – Brute Force Protection, 2FA & Spam Filter 50K+ · 4.5★ (370)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Disable All WordPress Updates 20K+ · 4.8★ (69)
wp.org #20 2 too low 19 
WP Meteor Website Speed Optimization Addon 20K+ · 4.7★ (77)
wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20 
Quttera ThreatSign – Web Malware Scanner for WordPress 10K+ · 3.9★ (47)
wp.org #16 4 too high 21 RiskPay Gateway: USDC Payouts for WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #10 11 too high 22 
Tamara Checkout 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #13 9 too high 23 
ePayVista Payments: High-Risk Crypto and Card Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓5 1 too high 24 
RizzPay for WooCommerce: High-Risk & Crypto Payment Gateway 20+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
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.