wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “secure link”
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 “secure link”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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
Secure Downloads shows at wp.org #12 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.1★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 8708 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605)
wp.org #1 2 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69)
wp.org #2 3 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking 20K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #4 5 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #9 4 too low 6 
Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (151)
wp.org #6 7 
Secure MCP Server for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI Agents 8K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #3 4 too high 8 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708)
wp.org #13 5 too low 9 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too low 10 
MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites 700K+ · 5.0★ (71)
wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too high 11 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940)
wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 
BetterLinks – Link Shortener, Link Cloaking, Redirects, Affiliate Link Manager & MCP 20K+ · 4.8★ (85)
wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too high 13 
Internal Links Manager 10K+ · 4.8★ (33)
wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too high 14 
External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 80K+ · 4.3★ (247)
wp.org #17 3 too low 15 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #22 ↓2 7 too low 16 
Secure Gateway for Authorize.net and WooCommerce by Pledged Plugins 10K+ · 4.9★ (34)
wp.org #21 ↑1 5 too low 17 
Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too high 18 
User Private Files – Secure File Sharing and Client Portal Plugin 1K+ · 4.4★ (57)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
Filr – Secure document library 700+ · 4.6★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑2 3 too high 20 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583)
wp.org #20 ↑1 21 Secure Downloads 600+ · 4.1★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #12 9 too high 22 
Secure Encrypted Form 50+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 
Rede Itaú for WooCommerce — Payment PIX, Credit Card and Debit 1K+ · 4.3★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Erdo Draft Links – Share Drafts, Client Preview, Secure Link 40+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑4 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.