wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wp admin protect”
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 “wp admin protect”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Protect Admin shows at wp.org #11 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 1138 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #1 2 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #2 3 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Jetpack Protect 100K+ · 4.6★ (123)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #5 ↑1 6 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #6 ↑3 7 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #8 ↑3 1 too low 8 
PPWP – Password Protect Pages 30K+ · 4.7★ (271)
wp.org #10 ↓2 2 too low 9 WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1138)
wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too low 10 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too low 11 
WP Reset 300K+ · 4.8★ (1014)
wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too low 12 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #17 ↑4 5 too low 13 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑1 14 
Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Protect WP Admin 10K+ · 3.6★ (50)
wp.org #9 ↑1 6 too high 16 
Protect Uploads 30K+ · 4.8★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #7 9 too high 17 
WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272)
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
WP-Sweep 100K+ · 4.7★ (138)
wp.org #18 ↑1 19 
Email Encoder – Protect Email Addresses and Phone Numbers 90K+ · 4.9★ (94)
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 
All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35)
wp.org #15 ↑3 5 too high 21 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Protect Admin 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑1 11 too high 23 
Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↓3 4 too high 24 
SiteGuard WP Plugin 600K+ · 4.3★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-currenthost-installed base thin reviews
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.