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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom statuses”

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 statuses”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 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.

Ranked above its merit

Advanced Custom Order Status for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #7 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Customer Reviews for WooCommerce places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 1539 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #1 2 Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 RegistrationMagic – Custom Registration Forms, User Registration, Payment, and User Login 7K+ · 4.5★ (459) wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too low 5 Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.3★ (32) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 too high 6 Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539) wp.org #21 ↑2 15 too low 7 Custom Block Builder – Lazy Blocks 20K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #13 ↓2 6 too low 8 Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too high 9 ShopMagic – email automation for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (78) wp.org #16 7 too low 10 Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172) wp.org #22 12 too low 11 Product Customer List for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.9★ (75) wp.org #20 ↓1 9 too low 12 Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355) wp.org #17 ↓3 5 too low 13 PublishPress Statuses – Custom Post Status and Workflow 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #3 ↓1 10 too high 14 Notification – Custom Notifications and Alerts for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (124) wp.org #23 ↑1 9 too low 15 Custom Payment Gateways for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #11 ↑1 4 too high 16 Additional Custom Emails & Recipients for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #9 ↑1 7 too high 17 Edit Flow 4K+ · 4.2★ (50) wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too low 18 N Ni WooCommerce Custom Order Status 2K+ · 4.1★ (16) wp.org #8 10 too high 19 Gutena Forms – Contact Form, Survey Form, Feedback Form, Booking Form, and Custom Form Builder 20K+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #15 ↑3 4 too high 20 EAN Barcode Generator for WooCommerce: UPC, ISBN & GTIN Inventory 10K+ · 4.9★ (56) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Additional Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too high 22 Advanced Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 15 too high 23 Custom Code 100+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 SDP Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↑1 12 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.