wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wp remote request”
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 remote request”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20. 4 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
HTTP Requests Manager shows at wp.org #17 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 3220 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #2 3 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #3 4 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #4 5 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #5 6 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 
WP Umbrella: Security Backup Restore & Monitoring 90K+ · 4.8★ (81)
wp.org #8 ↓1 9 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220)
wp.org #18 ↑1 9 too low 10 
WP Remote Users Sync 6K+ · 4.9★ (73) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑7 4 too high 11 
The WP Remote WordPress Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (74)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 
PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88)
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 
Download Monitor 80K+ · 4.5★ (525)
wp.org #21 ↑3 6 too low 16 
WP Migrate Lite – Migration Made Easy 200K+ · 4.2★ (318) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too high 17 
WP fail2ban – Advanced Security 60K+ · 4.2★ (71)
wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too high 18 
Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54) heavy footprint
wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too high 19 
WP Webhooks – Automate repetitive tasks by creating powerful automation workflows directly within WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (55)
wp.org #24 ↓3 5 too low 20 
WP User Avatars 20K+ · 4.5★ (29)
wp.org #22 ↓2 2 too low 21 
WP-DownloadManager 3K+ · 4.0★ (37)
wp.org #20 ↓2 1 too high 22 HTTP Requests Manager 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #17 5 too high 23 
Downloadyar Remote Media 30+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too high 24 
RS Remote Site Manager 90+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 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.