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

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 “fundraiser”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 2 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

Buy Me a Coffee – Membership, Paywall & Fundraiser with Stripe & PayPal shows at wp.org #5 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 90+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

SureCart – Ecommerce Made Easy For Selling Physical Products, Digital Downloads, Subscriptions, Donations, & Payments places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 288 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 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #1 2 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #2 3 Donation Platform for WooCommerce: Fundraising & Donation Management 7K+ · 4.9★ (99) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WhyDonate – FREE Donate button – Crowdfunding – Fundraising 800+ · 4.8★ (43) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Tickera – Sell Tickets & Manage Events 2K+ · 4.5★ (292) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 Charitable – Donation & Fundraising Platform (Donation Forms, Recurring Donations & Fundraising Campaigns) 10K+ · 4.9★ (219) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Sugar Calendar – Events Calendar, Event Tickets, and Events Management Platform 10K+ · 4.5★ (24) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 SureCart – Ecommerce Made Easy For Selling Physical Products, Digital Downloads, Subscriptions, Donations, & Payments 80K+ · 4.8★ (288) wp.org #15 7 too low 9 EventPrime – Events Calendar, Bookings, Tickets & AI 7K+ · 4.4★ (85) wp.org #9 ↓2 10 Paymattic – Secure, Simple Payment & Donation with Subscription Payments, Recurring Donations, Customer Management 3K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 Event Monster – Event Manager, Event Booking, Event Ticket & Registration 600+ · 4.8★ (18) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner 1K+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 Blocks for Eventbrite 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #13 14 Mission – Donation Plugin for WordPress – Fundraising & Recurring Donations 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 ↑1 7 too high 15 Jovvie Point of Sale POS for WooCommerce 100+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #23 ↓2 8 too low 16 Venuera – Event Tickets for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Buy Me a Coffee – Membership, Paywall & Fundraiser with Stripe & PayPal 90+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #5 12 too high 18 SKT Donation – Charity and Fundraising Plugin 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↑1 10 too high 19 Eventful for Elementor – Events Showcase for The Events Calendar 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓2 3 too low 20 Showpass WordPress Extension 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 NMR Fundraiser Hub — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 22 Events Calendar Plus 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓2 2 too low 23 Ticket Spot – Event Tickets, RSVPs & Calendar 40+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 Growfund – Ultimate Donation & Crowdfunding Solution 100+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 5 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.