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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “default 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 “default order”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 8 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

Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #6 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 6 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

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 2144 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 Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #1 2 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #2 3 Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce 100K+ · 5.0★ (350) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #5 6 CWILL (Formerly ParcelPanel) – Shipment Tracking, Tracking & Order Tracking for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.9★ (538) wp.org #16 10 too low 7 Real Custom Post Order: Create a custom order for your content 8K+ · 4.8★ (42) wp.org #7 8 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #21 ↓1 13 too low 9 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too high 10 Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too high 11 OneClick Chat to Order 30K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 WP Term Order 6K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #13 14 Intuitive Custom Post Order 400K+ · 4.4★ (139) wp.org #23 ↓1 9 too low 15 Order Tip for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.3★ (16) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 WC Cancel Order 5K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.3★ (32) wp.org #11 6 too high 18 Order Approval for Woocommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (23) wp.org #18 19 D Default Sort Ascend 400+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 Order Minimum/Maximum Amount Limits for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (40) wp.org #20 ↑1 21 Order Delivery Date for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.3★ (61) wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too low 22 WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 Order Status Control for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 5 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.