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

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 returns”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

EU Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce places #5 on merit, 5.0★ from 1865 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 EU Withdrawal and Legal Guarantee Compliance 1K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #3 ↑3 1 too low 3 EU/UK VAT Validation Manager for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.8★ (39) wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too high 4 EU VAT Assistant for WooCommerce 5K+ · 5.0★ (37) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #15 10 too low 6 Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496) wp.org #13 ↓2 7 too low 7 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (592) wp.org #16 9 too low 8 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #17 ↑2 9 too low 9 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #19 ↓2 10 too low 10 Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #20 10 too low 11 EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #4 ↓1 7 too high 12 Withdrawal Button – Easy Return 400+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too high 13 European VAT Compliance Assistant for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too high 14 WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 BuddyPilot Withdrawal – Easy Returns for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 9 too high 17 EAS EU compliance 200+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too high 18 Flexible Refund for WooCommerce – EU One Click Return 2K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #6 ↓1 12 too high 19 Connect WooCommerce Shop to ERP/CRM, Verifactu and EU/VAT Compliance 900+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 NIF (Num. de Contribuinte Português) for WooCommerce 5K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 EU Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 13 too high 22 EU AI Act Ready 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 8 too high 23 Smart Refunds & Returns for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Postcode.eu Address Validation 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 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.