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

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 pdf”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 5 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

Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #6 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 25 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 2144 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #1 2

DearFlip – PDF Flipbook, 3D Flipbook, PDF embed, PDF viewer 200K+ · 4.9★ (194) wp.org #2 3

Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce 100K+ · 5.0★ (350) wp.org #3 4

PDF Ink Lite – Free PDF Watermark & Password Protection 2K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #4 5

Order Export & Order Import for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.7★ (337) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #5 ↑1 6

Sequential Order Number for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.9★ (146) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7

PDF Builder for WooCommerce. Create invoices,packing slips and more 2K+ · 4.7★ (145) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8

PDF Poster – Let visitors read PDF’s without leaving the page 20K+ · 4.5★ (149) not PHP-current wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too low 9

PDF & Print by BestWebSoft – WordPress Posts and Pages PDF Generator Plugin 9K+ · 3.9★ (102) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too high 10

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #22 ↓1 12 too low 11

WebToffee WooCommerce PDF Invoices, Packing Slips, Delivery Notes & Shipping Labels 50K+ · 4.9★ (285) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #12 ↑4 1 too low 12

3D FlipBook – PDF Embedder, PDF Flipbook Viewer, Flipbook Image Gallery 70K+ · 4.8★ (182) wp.org #19 7 too low 13

Cart PDF for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (26) wp.org #13 ↓2 14

Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #6 ↓1 8 too high 15 B BSK PDF Manager 7K+ · 4.5★ (46) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 5 too high 16

Print, PDF & Email by PrintFriendly 20K+ · 3.8★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 ↓3 1 too low 17

PDF Generator for WordPress 1K+ · 4.6★ (39) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too high 18

PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce – Challan 7K+ · 4.6★ (47) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too high 19

PDF Forms Filler for CF7 3K+ · 4.8★ (13) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓2 5 too high 20

PDF Invoices Italian Add-on for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.6★ (16) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #20 21

Flipbook PDF Viewer & Embedder 300+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓4 22

Flipa PDF Flipbook – PDF Viewer and Page Flip Book 800+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #18 4 too high 23

PDF for Elementor Forms + Drag And Drop Template Builder 1K+ · 3.9★ (11) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓1 24

PDF Invoice Japan for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓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.