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

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 “waf”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 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

CloudSecure WP Security shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 100K+ 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

Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 334 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 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #1 2 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 Jetpack Protect 100K+ · 4.6★ (123) wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too low 4 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #4 ↑2 5 Security Ninja – WordPress Security & Firewall 7K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6 Cloudflare 200K+ · 3.5★ (181) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security 100K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #17 ↓2 10 too low 8 Jetpack VaultPress 10K+ · 3.8★ (72) wp.org #11 ↑2 3 too low 9 Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening 600K+ · 4.2★ (386) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #23 ↓1 13 too low 11 WP fail2ban – Advanced Security 60K+ · 4.2★ (71) wp.org #13 ↑6 2 too low 12 NinjaFirewall (WP Edition) – Advanced Security Plugin and Firewall 100K+ · 4.9★ (220) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 too low 13 SiteGuard WP Plugin 600K+ · 4.3★ (15) wp.org #3 ↓1 10 too high 14 Cloud Maestro – WAF Security Suite for Cloudflare 70+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 ↓1 9 too high 15 Atlant Security 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 Quttera ThreatSign – Web Malware Scanner for WordPress 10K+ · 3.9★ (47) wp.org #22 ↓2 6 too low 17 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #14 ↓3 3 too high 18 Atomic Edge Security – Firewall, Malware Scan and Login Security 700+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too high 19 bunny.net – WordPress CDN Plugin 10K+ · 3.1★ (22) wp.org #19 ↓1 20 Module Control for Jetpack 1K+ · 4.8★ (11) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 BitFire Security – Firewall, Malware Scanner, Bot Blocker, Login Protection 300+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #21 22 The Cache Purger 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 CloudSecure WP Security 100K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 ↓3 15 too high 24 WordSec – Malware Scanner & Removal, Web Application Firewall (WAF), and 2FA 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 4 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.