wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “iphone app”

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 “iphone app”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 8 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

Management App for WooCommerce – Order notifications, Order management, Lead management, Uptime Monitoring shows at wp.org #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 800+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Download Manager places #7 on merit, 4.1★ from 1006 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #4 ↑5 3 too low 2

WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement wp.org #1 1 too high 3

AppMySite – WordPress & WooCommerce Mobile App Builder (No-Code Android & iOS App Maker) 7K+ · 4.3★ (138) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #2 1 too high 4

Google Authenticator 20K+ · 4.3★ (135) wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too low 5

WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (177) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement wp.org #3 2 too high 6

Photo Engine (Media Organizer & Lightroom) 2K+ · 4.9★ (210) wp.org #15 ↓1 9 too low 7

Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006) wp.org #18 ↓2 11 too low 8

Ecwid by Lightspeed Ecommerce Shopping Cart 20K+ · 4.5★ (228) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #12 4 too low 9

Oliver POS – WooCommerce POS for iPhone, iPad & Android 700+ · 4.2★ (90) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 1 too low 10

AppPresser – Mobile App Framework 900+ · 3.7★ (53) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too high 11

BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 2 too low 12

WP-Appbox 2K+ · 4.5★ (63) not PHP-current wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too low 13

Buttonizer – Social Media Share Buttons, Social Icons, & Social Feeds 40K+ · 4.8★ (396) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #22 ↓2 9 too low 14

FunnelKit Payment Gateway for Stripe WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.9★ (53) wp.org #24 ↓2 10 too low 15

Hyper PWA – Bringing Modern Progressive Web App Experiences 400+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #11 4 too high 16

Buttonizer – Floating Menus, Sticky Buttons, & Popup Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (151) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 ↓2 5 too low 17

Payment Gateway of Stripe for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.4★ (66) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 ↓2 18

Hippoo Mobile App for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #8 ↓1 10 too high 19

Management App for WooCommerce – Order notifications, Order management, Lead management, Uptime Monitoring 800+ · 4.0★ (9) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #6 13 too high 20

Buttonizer – Live Chat, AI Chatbot, Call, Chat, Contact Button 50K+ · 5.0★ (23) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓2 21

Mobile App Canvas – Convert your Website Into an App for iOS and Android 200+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #9 ↓1 12 too high 22

Progressify – All-in-One Progressive Web App (PWA) 100+ · 5.0★ (4) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #19 3 too high 23

PWA – Progressive Web App Builder by WPCodeQuill 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓2 24

Product Designer App 100+ · 1.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #16 8 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.