wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “website verification”
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 “website verification”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Fastest Age Verification shows at wp.org #5 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 8706 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755)
wp.org #1 2 
miniOrange OTP Login, Verification and SMS Notifications 5K+ · 4.7★ (439)
wp.org #2 3 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220)
wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #11 5 too low 7 
Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869)
wp.org #12 5 too low 8 
Meta Box – A Framework for Dynamic Websites 500K+ · 4.8★ (165)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer 500K+ · 4.5★ (81)
wp.org #7 ↓3 2 too high 10 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #14 ↓5 4 too low 11 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 
Insert Headers And Footers 200K+ · 5.0★ (135)
wp.org #15 ↓5 3 too low 13 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #19 6 too low 14 
Advanced Age Verification Popup 700+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #3 11 too high 15 
Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) heavy footprint
wp.org #23 ↓9 8 too low 16 
Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) heavy footprint
wp.org #20 ↑4 4 too low 17 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #22 ↑1 5 too low 18 
LiveChat – Live Chat Plugin for WP Websites 10K+ · 4.6★ (98)
wp.org #24 ↓7 6 too low 19 Fastest Age Verification 400+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑1 14 too high 20 
Kadence Starter Templates — Predesigned Website Templates 200K+ · 4.3★ (19) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓2 10 too high 21 
SMS Alert – SMS Notifications & OTP Login, COD Verification, Abandoned Cart Recovery 3K+ · 4.6★ (35)
wp.org #21 ↓6 22 
CPS | Age Verification 800+ · 4.4★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓5 6 too high 23 
Uptime Monitoring for WordPress – My Website is Online 500+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓4 6 too high 24 
Academic Certificate Verification – Certificate Management & Certificate Validator 70+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓2 6 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.