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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “additional charge”

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 “additional charge”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 5 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

Additional Fees For WooCommerce Checkout shows at wp.org #4 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.1★ average from 35 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 591 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 PI Conditional cart fee / Extra charge rule for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.9★ (38) wp.org #1 2 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #2 3 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #3 4 Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 UPI QR Code Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (256) wp.org #5 6 Checkout Field Manager (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.5★ (784) wp.org #13 7 too low 7 PI Advanced Flat rate / Conditional shipping for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.9★ (58) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Extra Product Options For WooCommerce | Custom Product Addons and Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (219) wp.org #9 10 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #18 8 too low 11 XML Sitemap Generator for Google 1M+ · 4.8★ (2233) wp.org #17 6 too low 12 Table Rate Shipping for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (74) wp.org #12 13 Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 Extra Fees for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.3★ (42) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 Additional Fees For WooCommerce Checkout 200+ · 3.1★ (35) wp.org #4 11 too high 16 Payment Gateway Based Fees and Discounts for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (58) wp.org #10 6 too high 17 Antispam Bee 700K+ · 4.8★ (226) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 Event Tickets and Registration 90K+ · 3.5★ (236) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 WowShipping – Table Rate & Weight Based Shipping 700+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 PiWeb Disable payment method / Partial payment for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Gold Price Based on Weight 300+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Packing Charge 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 8 too high 23 WooBooster Additional Charges for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 Additional Charges on WC Checkout — · 3.5★ (2) 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.