wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “linked orders”

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 “linked orders”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 5 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

OBULKiT – Bulk Edit Orders for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #5 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Customer Reviews for WooCommerce places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 1539 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

PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #6 5 too low 2

Linked Variations for WooCommerce – Link Separate Products by Attribute with Swatches, Quick View & Shortcodes 500+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #1 1 too high 3

Lightbox with PhotoSwipe 20K+ · 4.9★ (115) wp.org #11 8 too low 4

Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539) wp.org #18 14 too low 5

Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #14 9 too low 6

Store Exporter – Export WooCommerce Products, Orders, Subscriptions, Customers 6K+ · 4.1★ (166) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #7 1 too low 7

Simple Sitemap – Responsive HTML Sitemap for WordPress 60K+ · 3.9★ (72) wp.org #9 2 too low 8

WebToffee EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #4 4 too high 9

Affiliate Program Suite — SliceWP Affiliates 10K+ · 4.9★ (111) wp.org #20 11 too low 10

Divi Carousel Lite – Make Carousels for Divi 5 30K+ · 4.8★ (146) wp.org #23 13 too low 11

Order Splitter for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #3 8 too high 12

WPC Product Bundles for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.4★ (220) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 3 too low 13

MKL Product Configurator for WooCommerce – 2D & 3D Live Preview 2K+ · 4.8★ (42) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 14

WPC Smart Linked Products – Upsells & Cross-sells for WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #2 13 too high 16

Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 5 too low 17

Upsell Funnel Builder for WooCommerce – Create Upsells, Cross-Sells, Order Bumps, Frequently Bought, and Popups. 2K+ · 4.7★ (116) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #19 2 too low 18

EU Withdrawal and Legal Guarantee Compliance 1K+ · 5.0★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #16 2 too high 19 N Ni WooCommerce Admin Order Columns 500+ · 4.8★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #12 7 too high 20

Guest Order Assigner 200+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #8 12 too high 21

OBULKiT – Bulk Edit Orders for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #5 16 too high 22

Hot Random Image 2K+ · 4.9★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #24 2 too low 23

Order List Table Elementor Widget for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #10 13 too high 24

Tranzly™ – AI Translation & Multilingual 7K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #22 2 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.