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← Rankings

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

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 “gift”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 9 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

Gift Pack for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #10 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Advanced Dynamic Pricing and Discount Rules for WooCommerce places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 122 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 PW WooCommerce Gift Cards 20K+ · 4.7★ (195) wp.org #1 2 Gift Up Gift Cards for WordPress and WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (235) wp.org #2 3 Gift Wrapper for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (52) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 Gift Cards (Gift Vouchers and Packages) (WooCommerce Supported) 1K+ · 4.7★ (115) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 Poptin – Email Marketing Automation, Newsletter & Exit Pop Ups, Email Popups 20K+ · 4.9★ (701) wp.org #17 ↑6 12 too low 6 Flexible PDF Coupons – Gift Cards & Vouchers for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 Gift Wrapping for WooCommerce 900+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #19 ↓6 11 too low 9 YITH WooCommerce Gift Cards 10K+ · 3.3★ (53) wp.org #5 ↑1 4 too high 10 Advanced Dynamic Pricing and Discount Rules for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (122) wp.org #23 ↑1 13 too low 11 GIFTiT – Free Gifts for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.2★ (43) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too high 12 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #22 ↓2 10 too low 13 MultiVendorX – WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace AI Powered Solutions 2K+ · 4.8★ (432) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 Free Gift Product For WooCommerce 700+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too high 15 WebToffee Gift Cards for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 too high 16 NM Gift Registry and Wishlist Lite 200+ · 4.9★ (25) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too high 17 Product Bundle Builder for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.8★ (61) wp.org #20 ↑2 3 too low 18 MH Free Gifts for WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too high 19 Gift Pack for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #10 ↑2 9 too high 20 Gift Vouchers for WooCommerce 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↑5 9 too high 21 GIFT4U – Gift Cards All in One for Woo 200+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #15 ↑2 6 too high 22 B Beltoft Gift Cards for WooCommerce 40+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 WPC Free Gift Coupons for WooCommerce 400+ · 3.0★ (4) wp.org #16 ↑2 7 too high 24 WooPOS Gift Cards for WooCommerce 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓2 3 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.