Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “income”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Amazing Affiliates – Toolkit for Amazon Associates with Amazon Product Blocks and Amazon PAAPI5 / Creators API integration shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Simple Link Directory – AI Powered places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 121 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Books Gallery – Book Showcase, Library & Affiliate Plugin 2K+ · 4.8★ (92) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 Ever Accounting – Accounting & Invoicing Solution for Small Businesses 1K+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601) wp.org #9 ↑7 4 too low 6 Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215) wp.org #7 ↑8 1 too low 7 AffiliateX – Amazon Affiliate Plugin, Product Boxes, Comparison Tables & Affiliate Link Tracking 9K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too high 8 Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too low 10 Simple Link Directory – AI Powered 2K+ · 4.8★ (121) wp.org #20 ↑2 10 too low 11 ERP: Complete HR, Accounting & CRM Suite Built for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.4★ (149) wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too low 12 Money Manager 200+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #11 ↓2 1 too high 13 Customer Reviews Collector for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 Subscribe Forms – Beautiful Email Forms, Embedded Newsletter Forms & MailChimp Form 2K+ · 4.7★ (60) wp.org #22 ↑1 8 too low 15 JetFormBuilder — Dynamic Blocks Form Builder 80K+ · 4.2★ (72) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 Web Accessibility by accessiBe 10K+ · 4.1★ (32) wp.org #14 ↓3 2 too high 17 YITH WooCommerce Subscription 6K+ · 3.0★ (46) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 Amazing Affiliates – Toolkit for Amazon Associates with Amazon Product Blocks and Amazon PAAPI5 / Creators API integration 600+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 ↓2 12 too high 19 Kadence Central – Site Management, Backups, Security, and Reporting 30K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #18 ↑2 1 too high 20 WPC Countdown Timer for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too high 21 Property Hive Rental Yield Calculator 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓1 8 too high 22 Property Hive Rental Affordability Calculator 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 Home Affordability Calculator 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 A AcyMailing integration for WooCommerce 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↑1 1 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.