wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “line items”
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 “line items”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20.
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
Speedx Smart Line Breaks shows at wp.org #4 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 20 places. Its 50+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Max Mega Menu places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 882 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.
Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397)
wp.org #3 2 too low 2 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55)
wp.org #2 3 
Export Order Items for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 too high 4 
Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706)
wp.org #8 ↓2 4 too low 5 
Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355)
wp.org #7 ↓3 2 too low 6 
Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
Discount Rules for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1395)
wp.org #13 6 too low 8 
WebToffee WooCommerce PDF Invoices, Packing Slips, Delivery Notes & Shipping Labels 50K+ · 4.9★ (285)
wp.org #12 ↓4 4 too low 9 
Sliced Invoices – WordPress Invoice Plugin 4K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #18 ↓4 8 too low 11 
Ninjalytics: Sales Reports & Order Export for WooCommerce and EDD 6K+ · 4.4★ (57)
wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too high 12 
Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367)
wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too low 13 
Gift Wrapper for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (52)
wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too high 14 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #21 ↓5 7 too low 15 
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too low 17 
Sprout Invoices – Client Invoicing & Estimates 1K+ · 4.4★ (191)
wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too high 18 
Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
Weight Based Shipping for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.6★ (83)
wp.org #19 20 
WP All Export – Order Export for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.9★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑4 15 too high 21 
Enable Abilities for MCP 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑5 6 too high 22 
Export Media URLs 7K+ · 5.0★ (29)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
RD Order Modifier for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 9 too high 24 Speedx Smart Line Breaks 50+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↑3 20 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.