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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “customer loyalty”

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 “customer loyalty”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Customer Notes for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #9 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Site Reviews places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 376 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 Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539) wp.org #1 2 Points Management System For Gamification, Ranks, Badges, and Loyalty Rewards Program – myCred 10K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #2 3 Loyalty Points Rewards and Referral for WooCommerce – WPLoyalty 3K+ · 5.0★ (310) wp.org #3 4 Wallet for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (188) wp.org #4 5 WP Chat App 100K+ · 4.9★ (222) wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6 Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create Loyalty Programs, Reward Customer Purchases, Referral Points, User Badges, and Gamification 6K+ · 4.5★ (180) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Gratisfaction- Loyalty, Rewards , Referral, Birthday and Giveaway Program 600+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 Real Testimonials – Testimonial Slider, Collect Customer Reviews and Video Testimonials 40K+ · 4.7★ (226) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 Email Marketing for WooCommerce by Omnisend 40K+ · 4.9★ (169) wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too low 10 Wishlist for WooCommerce: Multiple Wishlists per Customer 2K+ · 4.9★ (53) wp.org #10 ↑1 11 YayMail – WooCommerce Email Customizer 50K+ · 4.8★ (291) wp.org #19 ↓4 8 too low 12 Site Reviews 60K+ · 4.9★ (376) wp.org #22 ↓3 10 too low 13 Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #6 7 too high 14 TrackShip for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.7★ (52) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 Product Bundle Builder for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.8★ (61) wp.org #17 ↑3 2 too low 16 Deposits & Partial Payments for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (111) wp.org #23 ↑1 7 too low 17 Customer Notes for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #9 8 too high 18 YITH WooCommerce Catalog Mode 60K+ · 3.7★ (45) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Gravatar Enhanced – Avatars, Profiles, and Privacy 100K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too high 20 RewardsWP – Loyalty Points & Referral Program for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↑2 6 too high 21 theMarketer – Email marketing, Newsletters, Automation & Loyalty for Woocommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↑1 22 Wolve Loyalty 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↑3 2 too high 23 Loyalty Points and Rewards for Square 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↑3 5 too high 24 myCred Addons – Ultimate myCred Modules To Support WordPress Gamification and Loyalty Rewards 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↑2 8 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.