Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 referer”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Statify Filter shows at wp.org #5 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPS Hide Login places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 2111 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 wp.org
1 User Access Manager 10K+ · 4.4★ (112) wp.org #1 2 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #2 3 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #3 4 La Sentinelle antispam 3K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #4 5 WP Recipe Maker 50K+ · 5.0★ (356) wp.org #13 8 too low 6 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #6 7 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #14 7 too low 8 Clean Login 5K+ · 4.7★ (144) wp.org #16 8 too low 9 WPS Hide Login 2M+ · 4.8★ (2111) wp.org #23 14 too low 10 Dynamic Visibility for Elementor 50K+ · 4.6★ (89) wp.org #17 7 too low 11 CP Referrer and Conversion Tracking 300+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 WP-Ban 8K+ · 3.7★ (27) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 SEO Engine – Smart SEO with AI, Schema & Redirection for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #21 7 too low 15 MakeITeasy Popup 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #8 7 too high 16 Web Accessibility (formally known as Ally) – WCAG Scanning, Guided Fixes, Usability Widget 500K+ · 2.9★ (163) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 Attributes User Access 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 10 too high 18 VPN Guard – Block VPN, Proxy, Bots & Anonymous Visitors 200+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Rocket Font – 한글 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 Statify Filter 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 15 too high 21 Flamix: Bitrix24 and Contact Form 7 integrations 1K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #12 9 too high 22 Yandex Maps for Gutenberg 300+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Kaya Login Notification 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 L Login by Referer 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 2 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.