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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “carbon offset”

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 “carbon offset”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 3 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

Shipping Guard – Advanced Shipping Suite, Weight Based Shipping, Zero Emission & Protection shows at wp.org #5 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Simple Calendar – Google Calendar Plugin places #5 on merit, 3.8★ from 397 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 FakerPress 10K+ · 4.9★ (205) wp.org #12 ↓1 11 too low 2 Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 WP User Manager – Registration Form, Login Form, User Profile Builder & Member Directory 10K+ · 4.7★ (350) wp.org #13 ↓1 10 too low 4 Donation or Tip For WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Simple Calendar – Google Calendar Plugin 50K+ · 3.8★ (397) wp.org #17 ↓1 12 too low 6 WooCommerce Shipping 70K+ · 2.0★ (18) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 Solid Post Likes 500+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #15 8 too low 8 CarbonGuru Embedded Merchant Offsetting — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 ClimateClick: Climate Action for all 10+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #19 ↓1 10 too low 10 Click A Tree — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 Jawnie Green Claims Checker for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↑1 4 too high 12 IMPress for IDX Broker 7K+ · 3.1★ (34) wp.org #21 9 too low 13 Carbonfooter 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too high 14 OZY Smart Search — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓1 15 Commited – Shopping CO2 neutralization add-on for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 Shipping Guard – Advanced Shipping Suite, Weight Based Shipping, Zero Emission & Protection — · 3.5★ (2) wp.org #5 11 too high 17 Green Checkout for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too high 18 Mawu Dark Mode for the Admin Dashboard, Editor & Website 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 Staufenwald for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 ClimateTrade's Carbon Offset — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 21 Carbon Offset 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too low 22 C Co2 Footprint Widget — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 Carbon Balance: Carbon calculation and offsetting for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓2 7 too high 24 ReSpek Nature — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 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.