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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “affiliatewp”

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 “affiliatewp”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 18 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Cross Domain Tracker for AffiliateWP shows at wp.org #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 973 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497) wp.org #5 ↓4 4 too low 2 Wallet for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (188) wp.org #7 ↓2 5 too low 3 FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250) wp.org #12 ↑3 9 too low 4 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #15 ↓6 11 too low 5 Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358) wp.org #19 ↓8 14 too low 6 Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973) wp.org #23 ↓14 17 too low 7 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #24 ↓1 17 too low 8 Affiliate Area Shortcodes by AffiliateWP 2K+ · 4.0★ (5) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 Spam Protection | Maspik 30K+ · 4.7★ (87) wp.org #18 ↓6 9 too low 10 AffiliateWP – Affiliate Area Tabs 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 ↑3 9 too high 11 ActiveLayer Anti-Spam: Spam Protection for Forms & Comments 10K+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #17 ↑4 6 too low 12 A AffiliateWP – Leaderboard 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 ↑4 10 too high 13 ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546) wp.org #22 ↓5 9 too low 14 FluentAffiliate – Affiliate Program Management Suite, Affiliates Manager 2K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #16 ↓2 2 too low 15 A AffiliateWP – Affiliate Product Rates 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #4 ↑10 11 too high 16 AffiliateWP – Order Details For Affiliates 2K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 A AffiliateWP – Affiliate Info 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 8 too high 18 AffiliateWP – Affiliate QR Codes 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 Cross Domain Tracker for AffiliateWP 200+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #6 ↓4 13 too high 20 RewardsWP – Loyalty Points & Referral Program for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓2 21 A AffiliateWP – Sign Up Bonus 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 A AffiliateWP – Allowed Products 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓4 11 too high 23 A AffiliateWP – External Referral Links 700+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓6 9 too high 24 A AffiliateWP Checkout Referrals 500+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓5 3 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.