wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “bought items”

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 “bought items”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 9 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

Frequently Bought Together Product For WooCommerce shows at wp.org #4 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 19 places. Its 70+ 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

FunnelKit – Funnel Builder Plugin for WooCommerce Checkout places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 1028 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WPC Frequently Bought Together for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (84) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #1 2

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #5 2 too low 4

Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539) wp.org #12 8 too low 5

Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #13 8 too low 6

Product Bundle Builder for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.8★ (61) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #7 1 too low 7

WPC Product Bundles for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.4★ (220) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 2 too low 8

FunnelKit – Funnel Builder Plugin for WooCommerce Checkout 30K+ · 5.0★ (1028) wp.org #24 ↓1 16 too low 9

Upsell Funnel Builder for WooCommerce – Create Upsells, Cross-Sells, Order Bumps, Frequently Bought, and Popups. 2K+ · 4.7★ (116) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 1 too low 10

YITH Frequently Bought Together for WooCommerce 7K+ · 3.1★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #2 8 too high 11

WC Restore the Purchased Items Column in Orders Page 200+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #6 5 too high 12

Product Labels, Quick View, Buy Now, Pre-Orders, Frequently Bought Together & More for WooCommerce – Merchant 9K+ · 4.2★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #8 4 too high 13

Back In Stock Notifier for WooCommerce | WooCommerce Waitlist Pro 20K+ · 4.7★ (122) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #18 4 too low 15

UpsellWP – Upsell and Related Products Offers for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (149) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 ↓1 6 too low 16

WPC Smart Wishlist for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (34) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #14 2 too high 17

WPC Grouped Product for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.9★ (27) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 2 too high 18

Leo Product Recommendations: Upsell Popup, Frequently Bought Together & Cart Drawer for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #11 7 too high 19

NM Gift Registry and Wishlist Lite 200+ · 4.9★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20

WPC AJAX Add to Cart for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21

WPC Product Quantity for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.0★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22

WPC Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.3★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23

Frequently Bought Together Product For WooCommerce 70+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #4 19 too high 24

WPC Smart Linked Products – Upsells & Cross-sells for WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓1 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.