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

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 “alcohol”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 2 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

Products Sale Restrictions for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #7 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Age Gate 40K+ · 4.6★ (64) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Age Gate Lite 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Country Based Restrictions for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.5★ (52) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Easy Age Verify 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Advanced Age Verification Popup 700+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Local Delivery Drivers for WooCommerce 800+ · 4.3★ (18) wp.org #13 7 too low 7 Age Verification for your checkout page. Verify your customer’s identity 600+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 Age Verification & Identity Verification by Token of Trust 30+ · 4.3★ (15) wp.org #12 ↓3 4 too low 9 Polski for WooCommerce 60+ · 4.8★ (10) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Disclaimer Popup 1K+ · 3.8★ (5) wp.org #10 ↑2 11 Store Restriction for WooCommerce – Advanced B2B, Wholesale & Content Visibility Control 20+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Cart Validation for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 VelvetGate – A Luxury-Style Age Gate 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too high 14 AgeOnce Age Verification for WooCommerce 10+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too low 15 Products Sale Restrictions for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 8 too high 16 MHT Entry Confirm 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 2 too low 17 Wine Cellar Manager – From collector to sommelier: wine always in order 10+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #17 18 Automatic FFL 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too high 19 Verkkokauppapaja Alkoholitoimitus for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 Blueforce Age Check for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 PlugTide Digital Menu for Restaurants — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too high 22 Nutrition Info for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 XYZ Age Verification — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Age Verification System for WooCommerce 100+ · 3.0★ (4) wp.org #24

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.