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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “invitation code”

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 “invitation code”, 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

CM Registration – Tailored tool for seamless login and invitation-based registrations shows at wp.org #5 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.8★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

MoreConvert Wishlist for WooCommerce places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 120 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 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272) wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too low 4 New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 Pie Register – User Registration, Profiles & Content Restriction 1K+ · 4.2★ (222) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 Atarim – AI Agency for WordPress: Edit Pages, Fix Code, Update Plugins, SEO & Client Feedback 1K+ · 4.9★ (126) wp.org #10 ↑2 3 too low 8 MoreConvert Wishlist for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.9★ (120) wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too low 9 MyLiveChat – Free Live Chat & AI Chatbot 800+ · 4.4★ (27) wp.org #11 ↑3 2 too low 10 Coupon Affiliates – Affiliate Plugin for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 B BSK Forms Blacklist 1K+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too high 13 Salon Booking System – Appointment Booking for Salons, Barbershops & Spas 2K+ · 4.4★ (187) wp.org #18 ↑4 5 too low 14 CM Registration – Tailored tool for seamless login and invitation-based registrations 30+ · 3.8★ (8) wp.org #5 ↓2 9 too high 15 All in One Invite Codes 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 too high 16 What Would Seth Godin Do 900+ · 4.8★ (10) wp.org #17 ↑3 1 too low 17 RSVPMaker 200+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #13 ↑4 4 too high 18 File Uploads Addon for WooCommerce 4K+ · 3.7★ (27) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 EchoRewards – Refer a Friend Rewards Program for WooCommerce 300+ · 3.9★ (8) wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too low 20 Revi.io – Customer and Product Reviews 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 ↑2 4 too high 21 Merchant Center Reviews for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↑2 22 Trustprofile and reviews for WordPress 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 23 Invitation Codes: Gravityforms Add-on 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 PDFDraft – Drag & Drop PDF Builder, PDF Viewer, Embed & Download PDF, Certificate & Invoice Designer 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 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.