wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “hide payment methods”
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 “hide payment methods”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 7 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
Payment Methods by Product & Country for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #10 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 18 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 3220 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Payment Plugins for PayPal WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (127) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 4 
Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement
wp.org #2 3 too high 6 
Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #13 6 too low 8 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220)
wp.org #22 14 too low 9 
FunnelKit Payment Gateway for Stripe WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.9★ (53)
wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 
Payment Plugins Braintree For WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.8★ (149)
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 
PiWeb Disable payment method / Partial payment for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (38) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too high 12 
Pay for Payment for WooCommerce – Payment Gateway Fees & Discounts 10K+ · 4.7★ (71)
wp.org #16 4 too low 13 
Hide Shipping Method For WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 8 too high 14 
WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (177) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑1 7 too high 15 D Disable Payment Methods based on cart conditions for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑1 4 too high 16 
UPI QR Code Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.8★ (256) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↑1 5 too low 17 
Conditional Payments for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (28)
wp.org #17 18 
Payment Gateway of Stripe for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.4★ (66) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 Payment Methods by Product & Country for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.2★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #10 9 too high 20 
Payment Gateway of PayPal for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.2★ (79) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 
Mollie Payments for WooCommerce 100K+ · 3.6★ (69) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓6 3 too low 22 
ELEX WooCommerce Discount Per Payment Method 1K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑3 4 too high 23 
Conditional Payment Methods for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 
Restrict Payment Methods For WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #15 9 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.