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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “e reporting”

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 “e reporting”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 5 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

Verge3D Publishing and E-Commerce shows at wp.org #7 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 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 528 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Manage Notification E-mails 100K+ · 4.8★ (56) wp.org #1 2 Analytify – Google Analytics 4 Tracking and Reporting in WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (488) wp.org #2 3 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Conversios – GA4, Google Ads & Meta Conversion Tracking with Product Feed for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.3★ (206) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399) wp.org #8 9 Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053) wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too low 11 FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250) wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too low 12 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #20 8 too low 13 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 WP Visitor Statistics (Real Time Traffic) 20K+ · 4.5★ (156) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 Simply Static – The Static Site Generator 30K+ · 4.5★ (195) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Affiliates Manager 8K+ · 4.1★ (61) wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too high 17 Ecwid by Lightspeed Ecommerce Shopping Cart 20K+ · 4.5★ (228) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 Quaderno: Global Tax & Invoicing Automation for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #11 ↑2 7 too high 19 Kadence Starter Templates — Predesigned Website Templates 200K+ · 4.3★ (19) wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too high 20 Verge3D Publishing and E-Commerce 400+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #7 13 too high 21 WP Client Reports 6K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too high 22 CM Custom Reports – Flexible reporting to track what matters most 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #12 10 too high 23 OGEEAT 200+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #23 24 ZATCA E-Invoice for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓10 6 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.