wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “bet”
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 “bet”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Shipping Cost on Product Page Calculator for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #7 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
YASR – Yet Another Star Rating Plugin for WordPress places #7 on merit, 4.7★ from 323 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Shipping Live Rates for USPS for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (30)
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Shipping Live Rates and Access Points for UPS for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.7★ (77)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Australia Post WooCommerce Extension 3K+ · 4.4★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Shipping Live Rates for FedEx for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.4★ (27)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Stars Testimonials — Responsive Reviews & Star Ratings 1K+ · 4.8★ (65)
wp.org #13 7 too low 7 YASR – Yet Another Star Rating Plugin for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (323)
wp.org #20 13 too low 8 
IZ Block Editor Tooltips 100+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #5 3 too high 9 
Bulk Page Generator – LPagery 3K+ · 5.0★ (31)
wp.org #16 7 too low 10 
Marvy – Background Animations for Elementor 4K+ · 4.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
WP Login and Register using JWT 100+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #12 1 too low 12 
Shipping Live rates for Australia Post for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.6★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #14 2 too low 13 
Shipping Live Rates for DHL Express for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #10 3 too high 14 
Shipping Live rates for Canada Post for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #9 5 too high 15 Shipping Cost on Product Page Calculator for WooCommerce 300+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #7 8 too high 16 
Shipping Live Rates for Royal Mail for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #11 5 too high 17 
Smart Docs 50+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
Keywords to Links Converter 600+ · 3.0★ (10) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
Tr Options Migrator for ACF (Export & Import ACF Options Data) 60+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #15 4 too high 20 
Shipping Notices and No shipping options found info for WooCommerce 300+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #17 3 too high 21 A ailene999 Roulette Payout Calculator — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
PICK VIZ — Sports Picks, Tipster & Handicapper Platform — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Victorious Fantasy Sports 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Posts Footer Manager 10+ · 3.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #18 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.