wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “create orders”
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 “create orders”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Pre-Orders for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #9 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 7K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 66 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 2215 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. 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 #2 1 too low 2 
Create 6K+ · 4.3★ (25)
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #3 4 
MaxButtons – Create buttons 70K+ · 4.9★ (1093)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Real Custom Post Order: Create a custom order for your content 8K+ · 4.8★ (42)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Trakoo – Orders Tracking for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (58)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215)
wp.org #13 5 too low 9 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
Order Export & Order Import for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.7★ (337)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #16 5 too low 12 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55)
wp.org #8 4 too high 13 
Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce 100K+ · 5.0★ (350)
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 
LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597)
wp.org #14 15 
PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865)
wp.org #19 4 too low 16 Pre-Orders for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.5★ (66)
wp.org #9 7 too high 17 
Phone Orders for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (32)
wp.org #10 7 too high 18 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Sequential Order Number for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.9★ (146)
wp.org #20 21 
Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117)
wp.org #21 22 
Smart Online Order for Clover 1K+ · 4.9★ (34)
wp.org #17 5 too high 23 
OneClick Chat to Order 30K+ · 4.8★ (84)
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25)
wp.org #18 6 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.