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

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 checklist”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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.

Ranked above its merit

WP Guardian – Security Hardening Checklist & Lightweight Firewall shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Store Locator places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 312 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 FluentAuth – Login Security, Two-Factor Authentication, Passkeys & Social Login 10K+ · 4.1★ (35) wp.org #1 2 Security Ninja – WordPress Security & Firewall 7K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236) wp.org #11 ↓1 7 too low 5 Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399) wp.org #12 ↓1 7 too low 6 Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071) wp.org #14 8 too low 7 Atlant Security 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 too high 8 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 Cookiebot – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for GDPR, CCPA & Google Consent Mode 100K+ · 4.4★ (440) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #18 8 too low 11 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #20 ↓1 9 too low 12 Real Cookie Banner: GDPR & ePrivacy Cookie Consent 100K+ · 4.9★ (492) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #4 ↓2 9 too high 14 Pre-Publish Checklist 1K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 WPEPP – Essential Security, Password Protect & Login Page Customizer 3K+ · 4.1★ (19) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 WPMR Google Feed Manager for WooCommerce – Sell on Google Merchant Center & Shopping 10K+ · 4.5★ (127) wp.org #22 ↓2 6 too low 17 M Multiple Roles 5K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #21 ↓4 4 too low 18 Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 CMS ADMINS Security Check Report 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 ↑1 13 too high 20 Disable Block Editor FullScreen mode 1K+ · 4.3★ (8) wp.org #24 ↓3 4 too low 21 WP Guardian – Security Hardening Checklist & Lightweight Firewall 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↓1 14 too high 22 Security Hardener 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↑3 12 too high 23 Admin Optimizer – Performance, Security & Site Cleanup 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓3 4 too high 24 Manage – Centralized site maintenance and monitoring 100K+ · 2.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 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.