wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “checkout optimizer”
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 “checkout optimizer”, we and wp.org disagree 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
WP Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache, Minify & Core Web Vitals shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 399 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #3 ↑2 2 too low 2 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Easy Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache & Core Web Vitals (Unused CSS, Delay JS, Lazy Load) 1K+ · 4.6★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 too high 4 
FunnelKit – Funnel Builder Plugin for WooCommerce Checkout 30K+ · 5.0★ (1028)
wp.org #4 ↑2 5 
Imagify Image Optimization: Optimize Images | Compress & Convert to WebP/AVIF 900K+ · 4.3★ (1656)
wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 
Kikote – Location Picker at Checkout & Google Address AutoFill Plugin for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (65) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too high 7 
Sliding Cart for WooCommerce by FunnelKit – Skip Cart & Reach WooCommerce Checkout Faster 30K+ · 5.0★ (111) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑5 1 too high 8 Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399)
wp.org #15 ↑2 7 too low 9 
UpsellWP – Upsell and Related Products Offers for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (149) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↑2 1 too high 10 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #16 6 too low 11 
WP Meteor Website Speed Optimization Addon 20K+ · 4.7★ (77)
wp.org #14 ↑2 3 too low 12 
Page Speed Optimizer: HTTP/2 Push, Async JavaScript, and Defer CSS 6K+ · 4.7★ (64)
wp.org #13 ↑2 1 too low 13 
CheckoutWC Lite – Conversion optimized WooCommerce checkout 2K+ · 4.8★ (34) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↑3 4 too high 14 
SureCart – Ecommerce Made Easy For Selling Physical Products, Digital Downloads, Subscriptions, Donations, & Payments 80K+ · 4.8★ (289) heavy footprint
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Bulk Auto Image Alt Text (Alt tag, Alt attribute) optimizer (image SEO) 10K+ · 4.2★ (111) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↑2 3 too low 16 
FluentCart A New Era of eCommerce – Faster, Lighter, and Simpler 9K+ · 4.5★ (46)
wp.org #17 ↑6 1 too low 17 
Payment Gateway for PayPal on WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (73) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 
Nexter Extension – Security, Performance, Code Snippets & Site Toolkit 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) heavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 
DropAvif Image Optimizer – Convert WebP & AVIF | Compress Images 80+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 9 too high 20 
Swift Performance Lite 6K+ · 3.6★ (125) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↑1 3 too low 21 
iConvert Optimizer 200+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑2 9 too high 22 
Bulk Auto Image Title Attribute (Image Title tag) optimizer (Image SEO) 900+ · 3.6★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #22 23 WP Optimizer – PageSpeed, Cache, Minify & Core Web Vitals 100+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑2 12 too high 24 
Feather – Elementor Performance Optimizer | Asset Cleanup, Page Speed & Database Cleanup 90+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 3 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.