wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “old 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 “old orders”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
WC Search Orders By Product shows at wp.org #9 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 800+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #1 2 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #2 3 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709)
wp.org #8 4 too low 5 
Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #11 5 too low 7 
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #7 8 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #17 9 too low 9 
Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25)
wp.org #5 4 too high 10 
ArchiveMaster – Auto Archive and Export Old Orders for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #3 7 too high 11 
WPForce Logout – WordPress User Login Logout Management Plugin 8K+ · 4.8★ (66)
wp.org #19 8 too low 12 
PiWeb Live sales notification for WooCommerce 40K+ · 4.1★ (29)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74)
wp.org #22 9 too low 14 
Smart COD for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.6★ (52)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
WP Frontend Delete Account 4K+ · 4.6★ (27)
wp.org #21 6 too low 16 
Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.3★ (32)
wp.org #14 2 too high 17 
Order Tip for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.3★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #18 1 too low 18 
Supplier Order Email 300+ · 4.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 P Post Order By Category 900+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #15 4 too high 20 
Good old Share 60+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #10 10 too high 21 
Advanced Autocomplete Orders for WooCommerce – By HappyDevs 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #12 9 too high 22 
Order Splitter for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
Autocomplete for WooCommerce Orders 90+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #16 7 too high 24 WC Search Orders By Product 800+ · 4.3★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #9 15 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.