Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “unblock”

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 “unblock”, we and wp.org disagree 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

Block User Account shows at wp.org #3 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection places #2 on merit, 4.6★ from 213 reviews, but shows at wp.org #7. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection 10K+ · 4.6★ (213) wp.org #7 ↑5 5 too low 3 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 VigIA – AI Visibility, Analytics & Control 2K+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 WPOrLogin – Custom Login, Social Login, CAPTCHA & Security 2K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #9 ↓2 4 too low 6 Ad Unblock 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 Free Live Chat Support 500+ · 4.0★ (26) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 WP OAuth Server ( Login with WordPress ) 1K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 Snitch 700+ · 4.0★ (27) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Block User Account 1K+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #3 8 too high 12 ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938) wp.org #14 ↓4 2 too low 13 User Blocker 2K+ · 4.1★ (83) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 Eazy Ad Unblocker 100+ · 4.0★ (11) wp.org #23 ↓1 9 too low 15 Vulnity Security 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too high 16 Zaygl IP blocker and anti-DDoS 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 5 too high 17 Hotel Booking for WooCommerce 100+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 Checkout Guard – Block Fake Orders, Spam & Fraud for WooCommerce 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 User Access Blocker 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too high 20 EDH Bad Bots 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21 Advanced Accounts for WooCommerce 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too high 22 Traffic Jammer 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 CheckoutGuard 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 Smart Admin Assistant 200+ · 3.3★ (3) 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.