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

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 “dollars”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

WooCommerce Shipping shows at wp.org #5 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 70K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.0★ average from 18 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

CURCY – Multi Currency for WooCommerce places #11 on merit, 4.3★ from 227 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #1 2 Mercado Pago payments for WooCommerce 100K+ · 3.9★ (693) wp.org #2 3 Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514) wp.org #9 ↑1 6 too low 4 Flexible SSL for CloudFlare 100K+ · 4.8★ (51) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #10 ↑4 5 too low 6 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Booking Package 10K+ · 4.0★ (15) wp.org #3 ↑2 4 too high 8 Insert Special Characters 3K+ · 4.9★ (8) wp.org #4 ↑2 4 too high 9 PDF Builder for WooCommerce. Create invoices,packing slips and more 2K+ · 4.7★ (145) wp.org #17 8 too low 10 Progress Bar 1K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too low 11 CURCY – Multi Currency for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.3★ (227) wp.org #24 ↓1 13 too low 12 MyCryptoCheckout – Bitcoin, Ethereum, and 100+ altcoins for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.3★ (49) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 All Currencies for WooCommerce 900+ · 3.8★ (9) wp.org #8 ↑2 5 too high 14 B Blue Captcha 400+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 NOWPayments for WooCommerce – Crypto Payment Gateway 3K+ · 4.1★ (16) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Payment Gateway Currency for WooCommerce 300+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Euro FxRef Currency Converter (by DKZR) 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 CryptAPI Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 400+ · 3.7★ (9) wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too high 20 Mortgage Calculator 1K+ · 3.9★ (13) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 PayPal Brasil para WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.8★ (12) wp.org #23 ↓1 2 too low 22 WooCommerce Shipping 70K+ · 2.0★ (18) wp.org #5 ↓2 17 too high 23 AURPAY WooCommerce – Bitcoin/USDT Crypto Payment Gateway 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 Small Package Quotes – Worldwide Express Edition 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.