wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “additional fee”
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 fee”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 7 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
Conditional Fees for WooCommerce Lite shows at wp.org #4 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 167 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
PI Conditional cart fee / Extra charge rule for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.9★ (38)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #7 ↑3 5 too low 3 
Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284)
wp.org #12 ↑1 9 too low 4 
Additional Terms Lite for WooCommerce 2K+ · 3.6★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #8 3 too low 6 
Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706)
wp.org #16 ↓2 10 too low 7 
Cart Additional Fee For WooCommerce 70+ · 4.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #1 6 too high 8 
Table Rate Shipping for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (74)
wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too low 9 
Extra Fees for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.3★ (42) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 3 too high 10 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #20 ↑1 10 too low 11 
Smart COD for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.6★ (52)
wp.org #14 ↓7 3 too low 12 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167)
wp.org #23 11 too low 13 
Payment Gateway Based Fees and Discounts for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (58) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too high 14 
AWP Classifieds 3K+ · 4.6★ (301) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↑2 4 too low 15 
Additional Fees For WooCommerce Checkout 200+ · 3.1★ (35) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement
wp.org #5 10 too high 16 
Event Tickets and Registration 90K+ · 3.5★ (236) heavy footprint
wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too low 17 
PI Advanced Flat rate / Conditional shipping for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.9★ (58)
wp.org #22 ↓3 5 too low 18 A Advanced Excerpt 80K+ · 4.3★ (101)
wp.org #24 ↓7 6 too low 19 
PiWeb Disable payment method / Partial payment for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (38) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↓3 20 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 7 too high 21 
WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Conditional Fees for WooCommerce Lite 400+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #4 18 too high 23 
WPC Product Options for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.1★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓3 2 too high 24 
Kiswa COD Fee for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #9 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.