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