Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “assign orders”

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 “assign orders”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 8 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

Order Tags or Order Label for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #5 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406) wp.org #6 4 too low 3 Guest Order Assigner 200+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 too high 4 Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25) wp.org #2 ↓1 2 too high 5 OneClick Chat to Order 30K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 B2BKing — Ultimate WooCommerce B2B and Wholesale Plugin — Wholesale Prices, Bulk Order Form & More 10K+ · 4.9★ (109) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Order Tracking – WordPress Status Tracking Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (73) wp.org #7 8 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #16 ↓1 8 too low 9 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525) wp.org #22 13 too low 10 Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775) wp.org #23 13 too low 11 Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259) wp.org #17 ↓3 6 too low 12 Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355) wp.org #14 ↑2 2 too low 13 Store Exporter – Export WooCommerce Products, Orders, Subscriptions, Customers 6K+ · 4.1★ (166) wp.org #15 ↑2 2 too low 14 Ninjalytics: Sales Reports & Order Export for WooCommerce and EDD 6K+ · 4.4★ (57) wp.org #21 ↓1 7 too low 15 Shop as Client for WooCommerce – Manual, Phone & Email Orders 500+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #8 7 too high 16 Contact Form to Chat Apps | Click to Chat to Order – FormyChat 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too high 17 Enable Abilities for MCP 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #24 ↓2 7 too low 18 Local Delivery Drivers for WooCommerce 800+ · 4.3★ (18) wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too low 19 Order Tags or Order Label for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 14 too high 20 Order Splitter for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 ↑1 9 too high 21 Generate Random Orders For WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 Order Tracker for WooCommerce – Track Customer Order 900+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 Track Orders for WooCommerce – Multi Carrier WooCommerce Shipping 200+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #10 13 too high 24 Advanced Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑1 6 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.