wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “double the donation”
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 “double the donation”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Give – Double the Donation shows at wp.org #4 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 526 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.
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (707) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Charitable – Donation & Fundraising Platform (Donation Forms, Recurring Donations & Fundraising Campaigns) 10K+ · 4.9★ (217) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 3 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 700K+ · 4.8★ (803)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2135)
wp.org #8 4 too low 5 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (269)
wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.6★ (259) not PHP-current
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Formidable Forms – WordPress Form Builder for Contact Forms, Calculators, Quizzes & More 300K+ · 4.8★ (1384)
wp.org #13 6 too low 8 
Donorbox – Free Recurring Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 8K+ · 4.8★ (34)
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4353)
wp.org #15 6 too low 10 
Bit Form – Contact Form, Payment Forms, Multi Step Forms, Calculator & Custom Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (260)
wp.org #17 7 too low 11 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3152) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 12 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (526)
wp.org #22 ↑1 10 too low 13 
WP Dashboard Notes 20K+ · 4.6★ (110)
wp.org #20 7 too low 14 
Thank You Page for WooCommerce 10K+ · 5.0★ (43) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 15 
CP Contact Form with PayPal 800+ · 3.8★ (65)
wp.org #19 4 too low 16 
Responsive Thumbnail Slider 1K+ · 4.4★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #18 2 too low 17 
WC – APG NIF/CIF/NIE Field 10K+ · 4.8★ (23) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 1 too high 18 B Blue Captcha 400+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
Double the Donation – A workplace giving tool 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #3 16 too high 20 
WhyDonate – FREE Donate button – Crowdfunding – Fundraising 800+ · 4.8★ (43) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Give – Double the Donation 100+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #4 17 too high 22 
Image Ticker & Logo Slider – Continuous Auto-Scroll Carousel with Lightbox 1K+ · 3.6★ (9) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 
Funraise Giving Form 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 13 too high 24 
Ko-fi Button 5K+ · 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.