wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom rate”
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 “custom rate”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Shipping Rate By Cities shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.4★ from 1445 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706)
wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 
Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too low 5 
Flat Rate Shipping Method for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.2★ (76) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 
Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (1511)
wp.org #11 5 too low 7 
Shipping Live Rates for USPS for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (30)
wp.org #5 ↑2 2 too high 8 
Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071)
wp.org #14 ↓2 6 too low 9 
kk Star Ratings – Rate Post & Collect User Feedbacks 70K+ · 3.9★ (171)
wp.org #9 ↓1 10 
RegistrationMagic – Custom Registration Forms, User Registration, Payment, and User Login 7K+ · 4.5★ (459)
wp.org #16 6 too low 11 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #20 ↓6 9 too low 12 
WowShipping – Table Rate & Weight Based Shipping 700+ · 5.0★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 6 too high 13 
Custom Contact Forms 6K+ · 3.5★ (171)
wp.org #10 3 too high 14 
MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Conditional Forms, Form Templates & Custom Form Builder for Elementor 500K+ · 4.7★ (509) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓4 1 too high 15 
Shipping Live Rates and Access Points for UPS for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.7★ (77)
wp.org #15 16 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #24 ↓2 8 too low 17 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132)
wp.org #22 ↓1 4 too low 19 
Custom Shipping Methods for WooCommerce – Create Weight based Shipping, Conditional Shipping, Table Rate Shipping and much more 3K+ · 4.8★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑1 7 too high 20 
Shipping Live Rates for FedEx for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.4★ (27)
wp.org #17 3 too high 21 
Advanced Shipping Rates for WooCommerce: Flexible Table Rate Shipping Rules 2K+ · 4.9★ (49) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 
Table rate shipping for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.5★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓3 1 too low 23 
Custom Site Logo 1K+ · 4.7★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too high 24 Shipping Rate By Cities 600+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓2 16 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.