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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “token gating”

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 “token gating”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

CardanoPress – Initial Stake Pool Offering Dashboard shows at wp.org #7 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Oliver POS – WooCommerce POS for iPhone, iPad & Android places #4 on merit, 4.2★ from 90 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 CardanoPress – Cardano Blockchain Integration for WordPress 40+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #1 2 Web3 – Crypto wallet Login & NFT token gating 100+ · 4.7★ (23) wp.org #2 3 Hafenstudios Ads – Ad Manager, AdSense & Banner Ads 100+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #3 4 Oliver POS – WooCommerce POS for iPhone, iPad & Android 700+ · 4.2★ (90) wp.org #12 ↓1 8 too low 5 Intranet & Private Site – All-In-One Intranet 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 Wbcom Designs – BuddyPress Member Reviews 200+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7 Agent Abilities for MCP – Connect Claude and ChatGPT with Permission Controls and Audit Log 800+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #5 ↑2 2 too high 8 BitFire Security – Firewall, Malware Scanner, Bot Blocker, Login Protection 300+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #22 ↑1 14 too low 9 SEO Fury – SEO & GEO: Schema, XML Sitemap, Redirects, 404 Monitor, llms.txt 20+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too low 10 Frontend Gatekeeper 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 6 too high 11 NFT Marketplace and Loyalty Rewards 20+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #11 ↑1 12 CardanoPress – Governance for Cardano 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 ↓1 6 too high 13 Segurium – Free Malware Removal & Auto Cleanup for Hacked Websites, Antivirus Scanner, Vulnerability Alerts 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 ↑2 3 too low 14 CardanoPress – Initial Stake Pool Offering Dashboard 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↓1 7 too high 15 AgeWallet – Age Verification & Age Estimation for WordPress & WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 Privacy CAPTCHA for Cap 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too high 17 AgeOnce Age Verification for WooCommerce 10+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too low 18 SkyeGate — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 LinkRail Redirects, 404 & Security 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too high 20 DixonSMTP for Outlook & Microsoft 365 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 21 AP Family Trees 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑5 2 too high 22 Crawl Hunt – Advanced SEO Optimization Tool 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Honeypot Guard – Silent Anti-Spam 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 Gatekeep – Universal CAPTCHA & Anti-Spam for All Forms & Comments 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24

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.