wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “donation module”
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 “donation module”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
myCred Addons – Ultimate myCred Modules To Support WordPress Gamification and Loyalty Rewards shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 3221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708)
wp.org #1 2 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
FundEngine – Donation and Crowdfunding Platform 1K+ · 4.2★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
Paymattic – Secure, Simple Payment & Donation with Subscription Payments, Recurring Donations, Customer Management 3K+ · 4.8★ (44)
wp.org #5 ↑2 6 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #13 ↑3 7 too low 7 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #7 ↓2 8 
WhyDonate – FREE Donate button – Crowdfunding – Fundraising 700+ · 4.8★ (43)
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #11 ↑3 2 too low 10 
YayMail – WooCommerce Email Customizer 50K+ · 4.8★ (291)
wp.org #14 ↑4 4 too low 11 
Simple Divi Shortcode 10K+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #8 3 too high 12 
Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202)
wp.org #16 ↑8 4 too low 13 
Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132)
wp.org #17 4 too low 14 
FluentCommunity – Ultra-Fast High-Performance Social Network, Community, LMS & Online Courses 8K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too low 15 
WP Easy Pay – Payment and Donation Form Builder for Square 1K+ · 3.8★ (42)
wp.org #10 5 too high 16 
Manage Notification E-mails 100K+ · 4.8★ (56)
wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too low 17 
Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter 70K+ · 4.6★ (67)
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
GutenKit – Page Builder Blocks, Patterns, and Templates for Gutenberg Block Editor 80K+ · 4.5★ (48)
wp.org #19 ↓4 1 too low 19 
Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95)
wp.org #23 ↓1 4 too low 20 
Smart Grid-Layout Design for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.5★ (72)
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
Infinity23 (Formerly Tag Manager) – One Plugin That Replaces All The Rest 20K+ · 4.7★ (53)
wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 myCred Addons – Ultimate myCred Modules To Support WordPress Gamification and Loyalty Rewards 400+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #9 13 too high 23 
Give – Divi Donation Modules 600+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too high 24 
ShopEngine Gutenberg WooCommerce Builder Blocks Addon – All in One WooCommerce Solution 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #12 12 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.