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

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 “naira”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 18 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

ZERTH Pay Payment Gateway shows at wp.org #7 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its — 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

Quads Ads Manager for Google AdSense places #3 on merit, 4.9★ from 1087 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #10 9 too low 2 All Currencies for WooCommerce 900+ · 3.8★ (9) wp.org #2 3 Quads Ads Manager for Google AdSense 20K+ · 4.9★ (1087) wp.org #19 ↓1 16 too low 4 Nomba Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #4 5 Affiliate Program Suite — SliceWP Affiliates 10K+ · 4.9★ (111) wp.org #18 ↓1 13 too low 6 Paystack Easy Digital Downloads Payment Gateway 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 WP Sort Order 6K+ · 4.5★ (17) wp.org #16 ↓1 9 too low 8 Pay with MTN MoMo in WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #21 ↓1 13 too low 9 Remita Woocommerce Payment Plugin 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Flutterwave Easy Digital Downloads Payment Gateway 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 7 too high 11 Exchange Rates 800+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #20 ↓1 9 too low 12 K Kora Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 7 too high 13 PayXra for ProfilePress — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 WayaQuick for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 ZERTH Pay Payment Gateway — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 8 too high 16 Smart Location Based Shipping for Woocommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 5 too high 17 Kwugwo for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 Medivot: Live Chat, Booking, Lead Forms & CRM — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 VitalSwap — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too high 20 C CampTix Paystack Payment Gateway 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too high 21 Loka Pay — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 AtaraPay WooCommerce Payment Gateway 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1

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.