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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “flat rate”

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 “flat rate”, 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

Free shipping + Flat rate and hide other methods for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #5 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 270 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Flat Rate Shipping Method for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.2★ (76) wp.org #1 2 PI Advanced Flat rate / Conditional shipping for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.9★ (58) wp.org #2 3 Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #9 ↑2 4 too low 6 Flat Rate per State/Country/Region for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.3★ (35) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 Weight Based Shipping for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.6★ (83) wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too low 8 Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 Shipping Live Rates and Access Points for UPS for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.7★ (77) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 WowShipping – Table Rate & Weight Based Shipping 700+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 Advanced Shipping Rates for WooCommerce: Flexible Table Rate Shipping Rules 2K+ · 4.9★ (49) wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too low 12 morkva UA Shipping – Nova Poshta, Ukrposhta, Rozetka, Nova Global 1K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (22) wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too low 14 Affiliates Manager 8K+ · 4.1★ (61) wp.org #19 ↓2 5 too low 15 USPS Simple Shipping for Woocommerce 8K+ · 4.4★ (28) wp.org #11 ↓3 4 too high 16 Table rate shipping for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.5★ (12) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 Automated FedEx live/manual rates with shipping labels – HPOS supported 200+ · 4.9★ (12) wp.org #22 ↓3 5 too low 18 Product Attachment for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.5★ (24) wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too low 19 Free shipping + Flat rate and hide other methods for WooCommerce 200+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #5 14 too high 20 ELEX WooCommerce Product Price Custom Text (Before & After Text) and Discount 2K+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #21 ↓3 1 too low 21 ShipStation Live Rates for WooCommerce 800+ · 3.6★ (11) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too high 22 Codiepress Advanced Rule Based Shipping for WooCommerce, Table Rate Shipping Methods, Weight Based Shipping 100+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #23 ↓3 1 too low 23 A AffiliateWP – Affiliate Product Rates 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓1 10 too high 24 Easy Shipping Rate for WooCommerce 20+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #24

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.