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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “split 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 “split security”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 5 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

Yandex Pay and Split shows at wp.org #8 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Unlimited Elements for Elementor places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 525 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 Split Test For Elementor 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #1 2 Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) wp.org #2 3 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #3 4 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668) wp.org #4 ↑4 5 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #5 ↑2 6 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #15 ↓2 9 too low 7 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #16 ↓2 9 too low 8 Split Pay – Stripe Connect Split Payments & Multi-Vendor Marketplace for WooCommerce & FluentCart 100+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #9 ↓5 10 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #20 ↓1 10 too low 11 Flexible Table Block 40K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #18 ↓1 7 too low 12 Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355) wp.org #21 9 too low 13 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #17 ↑3 4 too low 14 Nexter Extension – Security, Performance, Code Snippets & Site Toolkit 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 WebDefender Security – Protection & AntiSpam 1K+ · 4.0★ (18) wp.org #13 ↓3 2 too high 16 WC Order Split 20+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #12 4 too high 17 Hostinger Tools 3M+ · 3.5★ (40) wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too high 18 WC Backorder Split 50+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #7 ↓1 11 too high 19 KosTeams Payments for Yandex Pay and Yandex Split for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓3 20 Zen Site Security 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↑1 10 too high 21 Abdal Security Headers 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Yandex Pay and Split 600+ · 2.3★ (3) wp.org #8 ↑1 14 too high 23 Tamara Checkout 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Zamok – Security and Site Tools 100+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.