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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “method”

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 “method”, we agree with wp.org 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

Postex Advanced Shipping Method shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 200+ 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

MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 1497 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Hide Shipping Method For WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (25) wp.org #1 2 Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303) wp.org #4 ↑2 2 too low 3 PiWeb Disable payment method / Partial payment for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 WC Hide Shipping Methods 20K+ · 4.2★ (44) wp.org #5 6 MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497) wp.org #20 14 too low 7 WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184) wp.org #21 ↑2 14 too low 8 Flat Rate Shipping Method for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.2★ (76) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 ELEX WooCommerce USPS Shipping Method 800+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too high 10 ELEX WooCommerce Discount Per Payment Method 1K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #6 ↑1 4 too high 11 Colissimo shipping methods for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.7★ (28) wp.org #8 ↓5 3 too high 12 D Disable Payment Methods based on cart conditions for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 Shipping Method Display Style for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.6★ (21) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 Payment Methods by Product & Country for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.2★ (18) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Remove XML-RPC Methods 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 E Estonian Shipping Methods for WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 Payment and Shipping Method Checkout Fee for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #24 ↓2 6 too low 19 Conditional Payment Methods for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 5 too high 20 Pi – Shipping method dropdown for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Pay. Payment Methods for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #12 9 too high 22 Postex Advanced Shipping Method 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 13 too high 23 Dintero Checkout for WooCommerce Payment Methods 600+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 E ESTO payment methods 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 9 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.