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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “country code validation”

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 “country code validation”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Advanced Country Blocker shows at wp.org #8 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 874 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Country Code For Elementor Form Telephone Field 10K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #1 2 IP2Location Country Blocker 30K+ · 4.1★ (128) wp.org #2 3 iQ Block Country 20K+ · 3.9★ (166) wp.org #3 4 UPI QR Code Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (256) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #13 ↓3 7 too low 7 EU/UK VAT Validation Manager for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.8★ (39) wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Country & Phone Field Contact Form 7 40K+ · 4.5★ (41) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #17 ↓1 7 too low 11 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #22 ↑1 11 too low 12 Woody Code Snippets – Insert PHP, CSS, JS, and Header/Footer Scripts 50K+ · 4.5★ (221) wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too low 13 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #21 ↓1 8 too low 14 Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303) wp.org #19 ↓1 5 too low 15 WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too high 16 UK Address Postcode Validation 700+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 10 too high 17 Campos Checkout Brasileiro para WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (45) wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too low 18 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Advanced Country Blocker 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #8 11 too high 20 ELEX WooCommerce Address Validation & Google Address Autocomplete Plugin 700+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #14 ↓2 6 too high 21 Advanced Shipping Validation for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #18 ↓3 3 too high 22 Payment Methods by Product & Country for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.2★ (18) wp.org #23 ↓4 1 too low 23 Wawp Country Code & Chat Widget for WooCommerce 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 11 too high 24 Softech Country Phone Validator 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓2 9 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.