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

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 “security”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 3 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

CloudSecure WP Security shows at wp.org #10 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (4979) wp.org #1 2 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1715) wp.org #2 3 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (389) wp.org #3 4 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8861) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3990) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 Jetpack – WP Security, Backup, Speed, & Growth 3M+ · 3.7★ (2406) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1477) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 200K+ · 4.4★ (546) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #14 ↑5 3 too low 12 BulletProof Security 20K+ · 4.8★ (674) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (384) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1655) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 Security Ninja – WordPress Security & Firewall 7K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #21 ↑1 6 too low 16 NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) wp.org #20 ↓6 4 too low 17 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too low 18 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 2K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #18 ↑6 19 XO Security 30K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 Login Security Captcha 10K+ · 4.9★ (20) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21 FluentAuth – The Ultimate Authorization & Security Plugin for WordPress 10K+ · 4.0★ (30) wp.org #17 ↓4 4 too high 22 Cookies and Content Security Policy 10K+ · 4.9★ (67) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #13 ↑5 10 too high 24 CloudSecure WP Security 100K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 ↑1 14 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.