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

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 “earning”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 6 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

AffiliateWP – Leaderboard shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 1K+ 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

GamiPress – Gamification plugin to reward points, badges & ranks in WordPress, now with AI places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 493 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #1 2

Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) heavy footprint wp.org #3 1 too low 3

Dokan: AI Powered WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace Solution – Build Your Own Amazon, eBay, Etsy 30K+ · 4.6★ (769) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too low 4

Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) not PHP-current wp.org #6 2 too low 5

WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement wp.org #2 3 too high 6

Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #5 1 too high 7

Points Management System For Gamification, Ranks, Badges, and Loyalty Rewards Program – myCred 10K+ · 4.6★ (472) not PHP-current wp.org #9 ↓5 2 too low 8

WowStore – Store Builder & Product Blocks for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.6★ (113) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #7 1 too high 9

Loyalty Points Rewards and Referral for WooCommerce – WPLoyalty 3K+ · 5.0★ (310) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10

Lara's Google Analytics (GA4) 8K+ · 4.7★ (122) wp.org #17 7 too low 11

GamiPress – Gamification plugin to reward points, badges & ranks in WordPress, now with AI 10K+ · 4.9★ (493) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 ↓1 10 too low 12

Ezoic 10K+ · 3.3★ (53) wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13

MultiVendorX – WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace AI Powered Solutions 2K+ · 4.8★ (432) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #22 ↑1 9 too low 14

Affiliates Manager 8K+ · 4.1★ (61) wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too low 15

Shipping Live Rates for USPS for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (30) wp.org #20 ↑1 5 too low 16

Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create Loyalty Programs, Reward Customer Purchases, Referral Points, User Badges, and Gamification 6K+ · 4.5★ (180) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #24 8 too low 17

Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #10 ↓1 7 too high 18

YITH WooCommerce Affiliates 6K+ · 4.2★ (19) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too high 19

Affiliates for WooCommerce – Affiliate Program, Referral Tracking & Commission Payouts 300+ · 5.0★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓3 20

AdFlow – Ad Inserter & Ad Manager: AdSense, Banner Ads & ads.txt 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too high 21

Affiliate Area Shortcodes by AffiliateWP 2K+ · 4.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too high 22

PayPal Enterprise Payments (formerly Braintree) for WooCommerce 10K+ · 2.6★ (50) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 A AffiliateWP – Leaderboard 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #8 15 too high 24

WP Adsterra Dashboard 400+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓1 11 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.