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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “cost estimation”

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 “cost estimation”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 4 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

ConvertCalculator: Build Cost, Price, Quotation, ROI Interactive Calculators shows at wp.org #9 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 700+ 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

Survey Maker by AYS places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 79 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Cost Calculator Builder 20K+ · 4.5★ (393) wp.org #1 2 Stylish Cost Calculator – Quote Generator, Lead Gen & Price Estimator 1K+ · 4.8★ (175) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 Zigaform – Price Calculator & Cost Estimation Form Builder Lite 100+ · 4.6★ (23) wp.org #4 5 Survey Maker by AYS 5K+ · 4.8★ (79) wp.org #10 ↓2 5 too low 6 NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress 5K+ · 4.1★ (135) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 Cost Calculator for Contact Form 7 – Price Calculator Free 5K+ · 3.8★ (15) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 Cost Calculator & Cost Estimation 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #2 6 too high 9 E-cab Taxi Booking Manager for Woocommerce 2K+ · 4.9★ (28) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 AForms — Form Builder for Price Calculator & Cost Estimation 3K+ · 4.8★ (8) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 Australia Post WooCommerce Extension 3K+ · 4.4★ (19) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 Freight Integration for Woocommerce to Profrakt and Logistra by WildRobot 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #8 ↑2 4 too high 13 Flexible Quantity & Price Calculator for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.3★ (9) wp.org #15 2 too low 14 PrimeKit Addons and Templates 70+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 Live Shipping Rates Australia for woocommerce – Get real-time shipping rates for your store 80+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 LATW Multilingual 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 2 too low 17 ConvertCalculator: Build Cost, Price, Quotation, ROI Interactive Calculators 700+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 8 too high 18 SamedayCourier Shipping 4K+ · 2.7★ (14) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Infy SEO – Image SEO Optimizer 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 NEX-Forms ADD ON – Form Themes 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 NEX-Forms ADD ON – Digital Signatures 500+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 Smart Calculators Suite — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 23 NEX-Forms ADD ON – Zapier Integration 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 Pincode based product price 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 4 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.