wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wp comment”
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 comment”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
WP Comment Notification shows at wp.org #17 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 400+ 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.
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68)
wp.org #4 ↑2 5 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440)
wp.org #6 ↑12 1 too low 6 
Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281)
wp.org #5 ↑5 1 too high 7 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #10 ↓2 3 too low 8 
WP Reset 300K+ · 4.8★ (1014)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 W WP Photo Album Plus 10K+ · 4.7★ (199)
wp.org #7 ↑13 2 too high 10 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 
Comments – wpDiscuz 60K+ · 4.7★ (581)
wp.org #11 ↓6 12 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053)
wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too low 14 
WP-Sweep 100K+ · 4.7★ (138)
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 
WP Armour – Honeypot Anti Spam 400K+ · 5.0★ (1472)
wp.org #20 ↓3 5 too low 16 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275)
wp.org #15 ↑8 1 too high 17 
WP Recipe Maker 50K+ · 5.0★ (356)
wp.org #21 ↓2 4 too low 18 
WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring 90K+ · 4.8★ (81)
wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too high 19 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #19 20 
Schema & Structured Data for WP & AMP 100K+ · 4.5★ (252)
wp.org #23 ↑1 3 too low 21 
WP Bulk Delete 90K+ · 4.6★ (131)
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88)
wp.org #24 ↓3 2 too low 23 
Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓3 5 too high 24 WP Comment Notification 400+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 7 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.