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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “invite only”

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 “invite only”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Hide Price and Add to Cart for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #13 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 800+ 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

User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 832 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP-Members Membership Plugin 50K+ · 4.6★ (272) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too low 3 New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 User Registration & Membership – Free & Paid Memberships, Subscriptions, Content Restriction, User Profile, Custom User Registration & Login Builder 50K+ · 4.8★ (832) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5 All in One Invite Codes 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #1 4 too high 6 YITH WooCommerce Wishlist 400K+ · 3.9★ (262) wp.org #6 7 Password Protected 300K+ · 4.4★ (142) wp.org #7 8 WP Discord Invite 400+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #2 6 too high 9 BlogVault Backup & Staging 80K+ · 4.6★ (332) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 Affiliate Program Suite — SliceWP Affiliates 10K+ · 4.9★ (111) wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too low 11 Templately – Elementor & Gutenberg Template Library: 6500+ Free & Pro Ready Templates And Cloud! 300K+ · 5.0★ (383) wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too low 12 Pie Register – User Registration, Profiles & Content Restriction 1K+ · 4.2★ (222) wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too low 13 Display Eventbrite Events 2K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too high 14 Salon Booking System – Appointment Booking for Salons, Barbershops & Spas 2K+ · 4.4★ (187) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 I Invite Anyone 1K+ · 4.3★ (26) wp.org #8 ↓1 7 too high 16 Refer A Friend for WooCommerce by WPGens 1K+ · 4.9★ (39) wp.org #19 ↓5 3 too low 17 BuddyPress Builder for Elementor – BuddyBuilder 1K+ · 4.6★ (57) wp.org #22 ↓1 5 too low 18 SpinupWP 30K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too high 19 Call for Price for WooCommerce 8K+ · 3.9★ (27) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 InstaWP Connect – 1-click WP Staging & Migration 40K+ · 4.5★ (12) wp.org #20 ↓1 21 YITH WooCommerce Ajax Search 30K+ · 3.0★ (42) wp.org #23 ↓1 2 too low 22 Custom Thank You Page for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Hide Price and Add to Cart for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 10 too high 24 SureMembers – Membership & Content Restriction Plugin 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 6 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.