wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “offline conversions”

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 “offline conversions”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Dintero Checkout for WooCommerce Payment Methods shows at wp.org #13 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF places #7 on merit, 4.5★ from 830 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #1 2

HandL UTM Grabber / Tracker 10K+ · 4.8★ (146) wp.org #2 3

FluentCRM – Email Newsletter, Automation, Email Marketing, Email Campaigns, Optins, Leads, and CRM Solution 80K+ · 4.8★ (250) wp.org #4 1 too low 4

Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #6 2 too low 5

iubenda | All-in-one Compliance for GDPR / CCPA Cookie Consent + more 200K+ · 4.7★ (397) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6

Charitable – Donation & Fundraising Platform (Donation Forms, Recurring Donations & Fundraising Campaigns) 10K+ · 4.9★ (219) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #5 1 too high 7

ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF 300K+ · 4.5★ (830) wp.org #15 ↑3 8 too low 8

LiveChat – Live Chat Plugin for WP Websites 10K+ · 4.6★ (98) wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too low 9

Meta for WooCommerce 400K+ · 2.1★ (481) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement wp.org #3 6 too high 10

My Tickets – Accessible Event Ticketing 600+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #10 ↑1 11

Buttonizer – Live Chat, AI Chatbot, Call, Chat, Contact Button 50K+ · 5.0★ (23) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #7 4 too high 12

Simply Static – The Static Site Generator 30K+ · 4.5★ (195) wp.org #19 ↓4 7 too low 13

Eventin – Events Calendar, Tickets, Registration, Booking & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (413) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 ↑3 4 too low 14

Live Chat by Formilla – Real-time Chat & Chatbots Plugin 2K+ · 4.8★ (116) wp.org #20 ↑2 6 too low 15

Place Order Without Payment for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.8★ (20) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #9 ↑1 6 too high 16

Plausible Analytics 10K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #23 ↑1 7 too low 17

Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO – Find & Fix Broken Internal, External & Video Links 200K+ · 3.8★ (87) not PHP-current wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too high 18

Deposits & Partial Payments for WooCommerce – Bayna 1K+ · 5.0★ (49) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #24 6 too low 19

Better Chat Support for Messenger 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↑1 7 too high 20

ChatHelp – Click to Chat Button, Chat to Order for WooCommerce & Floating Chat Form 2K+ · 4.4★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21

TrackSure Cloud – Server-Side Tracking, Meta CAPI & GA4 for WooCommerce 70+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #14 ↑3 7 too high 22

Dintero Checkout for WooCommerce Payment Methods 600+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #13 ↑3 9 too high 23

Pay. Payment Methods for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.7★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #18 ↑3 5 too high 24

Tebaro – Currency Conversion for WooCommerce 70+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #21 3 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.