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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sql injection”

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 “sql injection”, we and wp.org disagree 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 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

Compromise Scanner for wp2shell shows at wp.org #9 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 3K+ 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.

Buried gem

wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.5★ from 449 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Injection Guard 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security 100K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #7 ↓1 4 too low 4 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #8 ↑6 4 too low 5 FluentSnippets – High-Performance Code Snippets, Header & Footer Code, Custom CSS & PHP Code Manager 50K+ · 4.7★ (78) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 Shield Security – Smart Bot Blocking, Brute-Force Login Protection & File Scanning 30K+ · 4.8★ (1039) wp.org #14 ↓4 7 too low 8 SQL Chart Builder 500+ · 3.9★ (22) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 100K+ · 4.4★ (559) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Host Header Injection Fix 400+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #4 ↓1 6 too high 11 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #22 ↓3 11 too low 12 SecuPress with Simple SSL – Simple and Performant Security 40K+ · 4.1★ (106) wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too low 13 Security Ninja – WordPress Security & Firewall 7K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14 Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309) wp.org #21 ↓1 7 too low 15 WP fail2ban – Advanced Security 60K+ · 4.2★ (71) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) wp.org #19 ↓3 3 too low 17 RSFirewall! 4K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #10 ↓2 7 too high 18 Simple Table Manager 400+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #12 ↓3 6 too high 19 Atomic Edge Security – Firewall, Malware Scan and Login Security 700+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too high 20 WebTotem Security 700+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #20 ↓2 21 Virusdie | One-click website security 2K+ · 4.0★ (9) wp.org #13 ↓1 8 too high 22 Atlant Security 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Compromise Scanner for wp2shell 3K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↓2 14 too high 24 D DS FAQ Plus 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓3

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.