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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “order again”

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 “order again”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Order Cancellation & Returns for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 300+ 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

Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery places #11 on merit, 4.3★ from 4342 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #1 2 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too low 3 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 PiWeb Cancel order / Refund request for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (39) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #4 ↑17 1 too high 6 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #9 ↑3 3 too low 7 Repeat Order for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526) wp.org #18 10 too low 9 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #19 ↓3 10 too low 10 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221) wp.org #21 ↓4 11 too low 11 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #23 ↓3 12 too low 12 Order Splitter for WooCommerce 300+ · 4.7★ (70) wp.org #15 ↓2 3 too low 13 New Order Notification for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.4★ (14) wp.org #8 ↓2 5 too high 14 Phone Orders for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (32) wp.org #16 ↓2 2 too low 15 Easy Duplicate Woo Order 1K+ · 4.7★ (21) wp.org #14 ↓3 1 too high 16 WP All Export – Order Export for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.9★ (8) wp.org #7 ↑1 9 too high 17 Order Status History for WooCommerce 900+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #17 ↓2 18 Pay with Vipps and MobilePay for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.8★ (13) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 Order Splitter for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 ↓5 9 too high 20 ChatHelp – Click to Chat Button, Chat to Order for WooCommerce & Floating Chat Form 2K+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 WPC Order Tip for WooCommerce 2K+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #11 ↓4 10 too high 22 Order Tags or Order Label for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓4 9 too high 23 Order Cancellation & Returns for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓2 11 too high 24 WC Search Orders By Product 800+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #20 ↓2 4 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.