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

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 “backorder”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Shopkeeper Extender shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 7K+ 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.

Buried gem

Smart Manager – Bulk Edit for WooCommerce places #6 on merit, 4.4★ from 288 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 Bulky – Bulk Edit Products for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 PW WooCommerce Bulk Edit 20K+ · 4.9★ (238) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Stock Manager for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (130) wp.org #3 4 Conditional Payments for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (28) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Waitlist Woocommerce ( Back in stock notifier ) 4K+ · 4.6★ (113) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Smart Manager – Bulk Edit for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (288) wp.org #16 ↓2 10 too low 7 CoDesigner – All in One Elementor WooCommerce Builder 5K+ · 4.4★ (153) wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too low 8 Notifima – WooCommerce Stock Manager, Inventory Management, Waitlist 2K+ · 4.4★ (46) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 WowStore – Store Builder & Product Blocks for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.6★ (113) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 WC Backorder Split 40+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #1 9 too high 11 Back In Stock Notifier for WooCommerce | WooCommerce Waitlist Pro 20K+ · 4.7★ (122) wp.org #15 ↑6 4 too low 12 Call for Price for WooCommerce 8K+ · 3.9★ (27) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Product Import Export for WooCommerce – CSV Product Importer & Exporter 80K+ · 4.6★ (413) wp.org #23 ↓3 10 too low 14 Advanced Custom Stock Status 8K+ · 4.2★ (37) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 Deposits & Partial Payments for WooCommerce – Bayna 1K+ · 5.0★ (49) wp.org #19 ↓2 4 too low 16 Variations as Single Product – Display Single Variation for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too low 17 ELEX WooCommerce Bulk Edit Products, Prices & Attributes (Basic) 4K+ · 3.7★ (25) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too low 18 WPC Variation Bulk Editor for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.3★ (9) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too high 19 Ship Estimate for WooCommerce 100+ · 4.9★ (8) wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too low 20 Display Stock Status For WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↓1 9 too high 21 Export Variable Products 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Shopkeeper Extender 7K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 13 too high 23 Pre-Orders for WooCommerce – PreCart 70+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too high 24 Variation Auto Expire For WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓2

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.