wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “authorize.net”
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.net”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 6 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
Authorize.net Payments for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #6 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 1387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
Secure Gateway for Authorize.net and WooCommerce by Pledged Plugins 10K+ · 4.9★ (34) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #11 5 too low 7 
Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973)
wp.org #14 7 too low 8 
Payment Gateway for Authorize.net for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #1 7 too high 9 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #9 10 
Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397)
wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1387)
wp.org #19 8 too low 12 
AWP Classifieds 3K+ · 4.6★ (301) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698) not PHP-current
wp.org #17 4 too low 14 
Appointment Hour Booking – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (524)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Quads Ads Manager for Google AdSense 20K+ · 4.9★ (1087) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #16 17 
PeachPay — Payments & Express Checkout for WooCommerce (supports Stripe, PayPal, Square, Authorize.net, NMI) 300+ · 4.2★ (33)
wp.org #12 5 too high 18 
Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory 9K+ · 4.8★ (138) not PHP-current
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 
LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Payment forms, Buy now buttons, and Invoicing System | GetPaid 5K+ · 4.5★ (46)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
WP Hotel Booking 7K+ · 3.7★ (67) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 6 too high 22 
Accept Authorize.NET Payments Using Contact Form 7 100+ · 5.0★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #8 14 too high 23 
Backend Payments for WooCommerce 800+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #18 5 too high 24 Authorize.net Payments for WooCommerce 1K+ · 1.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #6 18 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.