wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “dashboard order”
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 “dashboard order”, we agree with wp.org 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
Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 25 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WooCommerce places #11 on merit, 4.5★ from 4833 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55)
wp.org #1 2 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #2 3 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce 100K+ · 5.0★ (350)
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157)
wp.org #5 6 
Order Export & Order Import for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.7★ (337)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too high 8 
Sequential Order Number for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.9★ (146)
wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too low 9 
Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117)
wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too low 10 
OneClick Chat to Order 30K+ · 4.8★ (84)
wp.org #13 ↓2 3 too low 11 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #19 8 too low 12 
Download Plugins and Themes in ZIP from Dashboard 30K+ · 4.9★ (27)
wp.org #10 ↓2 2 too high 13 
Dark Mode for WP Dashboard 3K+ · 4.8★ (34)
wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too high 14 
CWILL (Formerly ParcelPanel) – Shipment Tracking, Tracking & Order Tracking for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.9★ (538)
wp.org #23 ↓5 9 too low 15 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too low 16 Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25)
wp.org #8 ↓3 8 too high 17 
WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88)
wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 
Frontend Dashboard 500+ · 4.9★ (136)
wp.org #22 ↓5 4 too low 19 
ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546)
wp.org #14 5 too high 20 
WC Cancel Order 5K+ · 4.9★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓3 5 too high 21 
Order Tracking – WordPress Status Tracking Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (73)
wp.org #24 ↓4 3 too low 22 
Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.3★ (32)
wp.org #18 ↓3 4 too high 23 
Video Dashboard 600+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓5 2 too high 24 
Order on Mobile for WooCommerce 7K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓4 7 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.