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

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 “bonus”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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.

A

Ranked above its merit

AffiliateWP – Sign Up Bonus shows at wp.org #3 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 17 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

Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 488 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 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 Bonus for Woo 100+ · 4.8★ (22) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #4 ↑4 1 too low 4 Wallet for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (188) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 Fullwidth Templates for Any Theme & Page Builder 20K+ · 4.7★ (42) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 Spiffy Calendar 2K+ · 4.9★ (38) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 Loyalty Points Rewards and Referral for WooCommerce – WPLoyalty 3K+ · 5.0★ (310) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488) wp.org #18 10 too low 9 PW WooCommerce Gift Cards 20K+ · 4.7★ (195) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 Giveaways and Contests by RafflePress – Get More Website Traffic, Email Subscribers, and Social Followers 20K+ · 3.9★ (43) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 Football Pool 900+ · 4.9★ (83) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 Create 6K+ · 4.3★ (25) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 Smooth Page Scroll Up/Down Buttons 2K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14 Popup Builder & Popup Maker for WordPress – OptinMonster Email Marketing and Lead Generation 1M+ · 4.3★ (821) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 Stylish Price List – Price Table Builder & QR Code Restaurant Menu 3K+ · 4.7★ (117) wp.org #21 ↑3 6 too low 16 Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41) wp.org #16 ↓1 17 Affiliates Manager 8K+ · 4.1★ (61) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 Custom Query Blocks 700+ · 4.6★ (25) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too high 19 Dynamic Time 200+ · 4.7★ (21) wp.org #23 ↓2 4 too low 20 A AffiliateWP – Sign Up Bonus 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 17 too high 21 GIFTiT – Free Gifts for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.2★ (43) wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too high 22 Migrate to WordPress.com 2K+ · 4.7★ (9) wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too high 23 Tapfiliate 400+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 Affiliate Reviews 300+ · 3.3★ (3) wp.org #22 ↓2 2 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.