Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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

Speedx – Disable Login Verification Required Emails for Wordfence shows at wp.org #3 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 200+ 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

Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 491 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #1 2 Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 MainWP Child – Securely Connects to the MainWP Dashboard to Manage Multiple Sites 700K+ · 5.0★ (71) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #13 ↓4 7 too low 7 MalCare WordPress Security Plugin – Malware Scanner, Cleaner, Security Firewall 100K+ · 4.4★ (559) wp.org #12 5 too low 8 hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #9 ↓3 1 too low 9 AJAX Login and Registration modal popup + inline form 3K+ · 4.7★ (120) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #8 ↓3 2 too high 11 CAOS | Host Google Analytics Locally 10K+ · 4.9★ (128) wp.org #17 ↓3 6 too low 12 WP Customer Area 10K+ · 4.0★ (89) wp.org #18 ↓2 6 too low 13 Democracy Poll 6K+ · 4.6★ (86) wp.org #23 ↓2 10 too low 14 Asesor de Cookies RGPD para normativa europea 20K+ · 3.9★ (59) wp.org #22 ↓2 8 too low 15 Patchstack – WordPress & Plugins Security 100K+ · 4.9★ (61) wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 Speedx – Disable Login Verification Required Emails for Wordfence 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 13 too high 17 Cowboy MCP – Free MCP Server with Undo for Claude & ChatGPT 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #21 ↓3 4 too low 18 Lockora Security Audit 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 ↓2 1 too low 19 JDITC Add Wordfence 2FA to Ultimate Member 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↑5 13 too high 20 Vulnerability Monitor for Wordfence Intelligence 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 9 too high 21 Grey Rock Block Synchroniser for Wordfence and Cloudflare 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↓2 11 too high 22 Weglob Auto Repair for Wordfence Security 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓2 7 too high 23 S Simula Security Telemetry for Wordfence 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too high 24 Wonderful Repeated Hit Blocker for Wordfence 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓2

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.