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

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 “contracts”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 7 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.

F

Ranked above its merit

FameTheme Demo Importer shows at wp.org #10 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 30K+ 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

Everest Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form, Quiz, Survey & Custom Form Builder with AI places #4 on merit, 4.9★ from 375 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 WC Korkmaz Contract – Contracts for WooCommerce 500+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Everest Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form, Quiz, Survey & Custom Form Builder with AI 90K+ · 4.9★ (375) wp.org #9 5 too low 5 Packlink PRO for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.4★ (263) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Signature Add-On for Gravity Forms 1K+ · 3.9★ (21) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 U Upload Larger Plugins 6K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #13 ↑1 6 too low 8 WP Forms Signature Contract Add-On 800+ · 4.4★ (5) wp.org #4 ↓1 4 too high 9 Ninja Forms Signature Contract Add-On 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 Digital Signature For Contact Form 7 5K+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too low 11 Split Test For Elementor 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #21 ↑3 10 too low 12 Piraeus Bank WooCommerce Payment Gateway 3K+ · 3.9★ (35) wp.org #23 ↓10 11 too low 13 Formidable Forms Signature Online Contract Automation 200+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #6 7 too high 14 WPSmartContracts 100+ · 3.9★ (29) wp.org #20 ↑2 6 too low 15 EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 PDF for Elementor Forms + Drag And Drop Template Builder 1K+ · 3.9★ (11) wp.org #16 ↑1 17 Digital Signature Add-on for WooCommerce 900+ · 3.1★ (19) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 MakeCommerce for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.6★ (8) wp.org #12 ↓2 6 too high 19 BuddyPilot Withdrawal – Easy Returns for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too high 20 PDF for WPForms + Drag and Drop Template Builder 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) wp.org #19 ↑2 1 too high 21 F FameTheme Demo Importer 30K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↑2 11 too high 22 PDF for Gravity Forms + Drag And Drop Template Builder 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 Electronic Signature Add-on for Fluent Forms 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too high 24 DPD Baltic Shipping 2K+ · 2.7★ (13) 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.