wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “spam filter”

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 “spam filter”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Easy Spam Filter – Privacy-Friendly CAPTCHA Alternative with Turnstile for Contact Form 7, WPForms, BuddyPress, Elementor shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 1720 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #1 2

Titan Anti-spam & Security – Brute Force Protection, 2FA & Spam Filter 50K+ · 4.5★ (370) not PHP-current wp.org #2 3

WP Armour – Honeypot Anti Spam 400K+ · 5.0★ (1471) wp.org #5 2 too low 4

Spam Protection | Maspik 30K+ · 4.7★ (87) wp.org #3 1 too high 5

Akismet Anti-spam: Spam Protection 5M+ · 4.7★ (1187) wp.org #4 1 too high 6

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #8 2 too low 7

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8

Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262) not PHP-current wp.org #10 ↓3 2 too low 9

Gravity Forms Zero Spam 100K+ · 4.3★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #6 3 too high 10

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #19 9 too low 11

Antispam Bee 700K+ · 4.8★ (226) wp.org #16 5 too low 12

oopspam Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for WordPress Forms & Comments (No CAPTCHA) 6K+ · 4.9★ (51) wp.org #13 ↓2 1 too low 13

ActiveLayer Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for Forms & Comments 10K+ · 4.9★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #7 ↑8 6 too high 14

Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #23 9 too low 15

Zero Spam for WordPress 20K+ · 4.1★ (143) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 ↑4 6 too high 16

WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection 10K+ · 4.6★ (213) wp.org #24 8 too low 17

Spam Destroyer 5K+ · 4.6★ (54) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too high 18

Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #20 ↑3 2 too low 19 M Message Filter for Contact Form 7 1K+ · 4.9★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too high 20 T Throws SPAM Away 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓2 6 too high 21

Anti-Spam Protection – No API Key, GDPR Friendly 1K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #21 22

SilentShield – Captcha & Anti-Spam for WordPress (CF7, WPForms, Elementor, WooCommerce) 10K+ · 4.7★ (24) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23

Easy Spam Filter – Privacy-Friendly CAPTCHA Alternative with Turnstile for Contact Form 7, WPForms, BuddyPress, Elementor 1K+ · 4.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↓2 11 too high 24

Block Specific Spam Woo Orders 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #22 2 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.