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

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

Ranked above its merit

SureDonation – Donation Forms, Fundraising Campaigns & Donor Management shows at wp.org #2 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 4K+ 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

Knit Pay – Cashfree, Instamojo, Razorpay, PayPal and more places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 100 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Charitable – Donation & Fundraising Platform (Donation Forms, Recurring Donations & Fundraising Campaigns) 10K+ · 4.9★ (219) wp.org #1 2 Pronamic Pay 2K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 Noptin – Newsletter, New Post Notifications & Email Automation 10K+ · 4.5★ (120) wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too low 4 Advanced Form Integration — Connect Forms to 300+ Apps 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) wp.org #7 ↑2 3 too low 5 Product Tabs for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (69) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 AutomatorWP – No-Code Workflow Automation, Integration & Webhooks Plugin, now with AI 6K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #12 6 too low 7 Ultimeter – the Ultimate Progress and Goals Meter 1K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 GamiPress – Gamification plugin to reward points, badges & ranks in WordPress, now with AI 10K+ · 4.9★ (493) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Confetti – Celebration Effects for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (49) wp.org #9 ↓1 10 Knit Pay – Cashfree, Instamojo, Razorpay, PayPal and more 2K+ · 4.9★ (100) wp.org #20 10 too low 11 Uncanny Automator – AI + Automation for WordPress | AI Agent, AI Page Builder, Free AI Usage Included 40K+ · 4.9★ (157) wp.org #19 8 too low 12 PushEngage – Web Push Notifications, WooCommerce Automation & Chat Widget 8K+ · 4.3★ (37) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 Address Autocomplete Anything – Google Address Autocomplete for Any Form 900+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #13 14 Stripe Payment Forms by WP Full Pay – Accept Credit Card Payments, Donations & Subscriptions 8K+ · 4.2★ (26) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 SureDonation – Donation Forms, Fundraising Campaigns & Donor Management 4K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 ↑1 13 too high 16 Zeffy Donate Button 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 Charitable – Instamojo Payment Gateway 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 Knit Pay Pro – Mercado Pago, CCAvenue, Easebuzz, Thawani 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 Knit Pay UPI – Paytm for Business, PhonePe Business, BharatPe, HDFC 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 SKT Donation – Charity and Fundraising Plugin 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↓1 12 too high 21 Donation or Tip For WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Click & Pledge CONNECT 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 CustomDonations – Donation, Membership, and Fundraising Forms with Stripe, PayPal and DAF Pay 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Charity Addon for Elementor 1K+ · 2.0★ (1) wp.org #22 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.