wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user ip”

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 “user ip”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 2 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

GDPR Tools: comment ip removement shows at wp.org #11 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) heavy footprint wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too low 2

Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #1 ↑1 1 too high 3

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #5 2 too low 4

User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238) wp.org #4 5

Stop User Enumeration 60K+ · 4.9★ (132) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913) wp.org #12 ↓5 6 too low 7

User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112) wp.org #8 1 too low 8

Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259) wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10

User IP and Location 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #3 7 too high 11

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #23 ↑2 12 too low 12

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #18 ↓7 6 too low 13

Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74) wp.org #10 ↑8 3 too high 14

ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236) not PHP-current wp.org #16 2 too low 15

Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #19 ↑2 4 too low 16

Geolocation IP Detection 20K+ · 4.7★ (59) wp.org #20 ↓2 4 too low 17 I IP Based Login 600+ · 4.9★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #17 18

Current Year, Symbols and IP Shortcode 10K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #9 9 too high 19

User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too high 20

WP Approve User 3K+ · 4.2★ (42) wp.org #22 2 too low 21

GDPR Tools: comment ip removement 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #11 10 too high 22

IP Geolocation 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 S Simple Membership WP user Import 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #24 1 too low 24

IP Locator 500+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #14 10 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.