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

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 “eu”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 8 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

EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #6 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Germanized for WooCommerce places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 496 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #1 2 EU Withdrawal and Legal Guarantee Compliance 1K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #2 3 EU/UK VAT Validation Manager for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.8★ (39) wp.org #3 4 GDPR Cookie Compliance – Cookie Banner, Cookie Consent, Cookie Notice for CCPA, EU Cookie Law 300K+ · 4.6★ (205) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too low 5 EU Cookies Bar for WordPress 9K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 EU VAT Assistant for WooCommerce 5K+ · 5.0★ (37) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869) wp.org #10 ↑5 2 too low 9 CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236) wp.org #16 ↓2 7 too low 10 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #17 ↑3 7 too low 11 Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496) wp.org #19 8 too low 12 WebToffee EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #4 8 too high 13 European VAT Compliance Assistant for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #13 ↓2 14 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #21 ↓5 7 too low 15 WPConsent – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for Privacy Compliance (GDPR / CCPA / EU Compliance Cookie Notice) 200K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #22 ↓1 7 too low 16 EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #6 ↓1 10 too high 17 WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) wp.org #12 ↓2 5 too high 18 Italy Cookie Choices (for EU Cookie Law & Cookie Notice) 9K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 EAS EU compliance 200+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too high 20 EU Consumer Rights for WooCommerce – Guarantee Notice, GARAN Label, Withdrawal Button, Right to Repair, Omnibus Price & GPSR 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #18 ↑5 2 too high 21 EU VAT Guard for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 ↑7 10 too high 22 EU AI Act Ready 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 ↑2 2 too high 23 EU Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓3 8 too high 24 Flexible Refund for WooCommerce – EU One Click Return 2K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #23 ↓6 1 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.