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← Rankings

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

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 “authorize”, 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

WP Hotel Booking Authorize Payment shows at wp.org #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Payment Plugins Braintree For WooCommerce places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 149 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Secure Gateway for Authorize.net and WooCommerce by Pledged Plugins 10K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #1 2 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (199) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #10 ↑3 6 too low 5 Accept Stripe Payments 20K+ · 4.1★ (114) wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too low 6 Hostinger Tools 3M+ · 3.5★ (40) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too low 8 Next Active Directory Integration 2K+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Payment Plugins Braintree For WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.8★ (149) wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too low 10 Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Payment Gateway for Authorize.net for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #2 9 too high 12 Gmail SMTP 10K+ · 4.1★ (103) wp.org #19 ↓7 7 too low 13 WP API SwaggerUI 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too low 14 Backend Payments for WooCommerce 800+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too high 15 Accept Authorize.NET Payments Using Contact Form 7 100+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 PeachPay — Payments & Express Checkout for WooCommerce (supports Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.net, NMI) 300+ · 4.2★ (33) wp.org #23 ↑1 7 too low 17 Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too low 18 Revolut Gateway for WooCommerce 7K+ · 3.2★ (45) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 WP Hotel Booking Authorize Payment 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 13 too high 20 Razorpay for WooCommerce 100K+ · 2.5★ (23) wp.org #15 ↑1 5 too high 21 Pledged Plugins PCI Gateway for NMI and WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 CHIP for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 TextBuilder 4K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 Authorize.net Payments for WooCommerce 1K+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.