wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wp lock”
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 lock”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 3 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 #3 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 18 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
Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection places #10 on merit, 4.6★ from 3992 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring 90K+ · 4.8★ (81)
wp.org #4 5 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #8 ↓2 3 too low 6 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑1 7 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #7 ↑9 8 
Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525)
wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too low 9 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992)
wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too low 11 
WP-PostRatings 20K+ · 4.4★ (178)
wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too low 12 
File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492)
wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too low 13 
PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↓3 1 too low 14 
Limit Login Attempts Security – Login Security, 2FA, Firewall, Brute Force Prevention 1M+ · 4.8★ (1488)
wp.org #19 5 too low 15 
WP Hide & Security Enhancer 50K+ · 4.3★ (275) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑5 2 too high 16 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓5 2 too low 17 
WP EXtra – One Click Optimize 6K+ · 4.9★ (41)
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
WP User Avatars 20K+ · 4.5★ (29)
wp.org #17 1 too high 19 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #24 ↓1 5 too low 20 
WP Updates Notifier 20K+ · 4.2★ (35)
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 CloudSecure WP Security 100K+ · 5.0★ (2) host-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #3 18 too high 22 
All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35)
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
WP-Ban 8K+ · 3.7★ (27)
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 
SiteGuard WP Plugin 600K+ · 4.3★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-currenthost-installed base thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 15 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.