wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “discounts”

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

Taxonomy/Term and Role-based Discounts for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin places #10 on merit, 4.4★ from 1445 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 signals wp.org

Discount Rules and Dynamic Pricing for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.7★ (248) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #1 2

Discount Rules for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1395) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3

Payment Gateway Based Fees and Discounts for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (58) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4

YayPricing – WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing & Discounts 3K+ · 5.0★ (72) wp.org #4 ↑2 5

Advanced Dynamic Pricing and Discount Rules for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (122) wp.org #5 ↓1 6

Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270) wp.org #9 ↑7 3 too low 7

Pay for Payment for WooCommerce – Payment Gateway Fees & Discounts 10K+ · 4.7★ (71) wp.org #7 ↑1 8

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #18 10 too low 9

Side Cart Woocommerce | Woocommerce Cart 70K+ · 4.9★ (453) wp.org #17 8 too low 10

Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #22 12 too low 11

ELEX WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing and Discounts 700+ · 4.3★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #6 ↑1 5 too high 12

Simple Discount Rules for Woocommerce 4K+ · 4.6★ (73) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↓5 2 too high 13

Smart Coupons For WooCommerce Coupons 30K+ · 4.7★ (133) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14

Discounts & Promotions Automation 90+ · 4.7★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15

Dynamic Pricing With Discount Rules for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.5★ (68) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16

Price by Quantity & Bulk Quantity Discounts for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (16) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too high 17

Taxonomy/Term and Role-based Discounts for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.4★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #8 ↑1 9 too high 18

Quantity Discounts, Breaks & Product Bundles for Woocommerce By Bundler 400+ · 4.5★ (51) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19

Dynamic Pricing and Discount Rules 1K+ · 4.6★ (11) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20

Discount Rules for WooCommerce – Disco | Dynamic Pricing, Conditions, Bulk, Bundle, BOGO 5K+ · 4.2★ (9) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #15 5 too high 21

Sitewide Discount for WooCommerce: Apply Discount to All Products 600+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↑2 1 too high 22

Power Coupons for WooCommerce 30K+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #16 6 too high 23

REDIS – WooCommerce Dynamic Pricing and Discounts 100+ · 4.2★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24

Dynamic Pricing & Discounts Lite 300+ · 3.9★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓5

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.