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

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 reports”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

MainWP Child Reports shows at wp.org #3 but places #10 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 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 wp.org
1 Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #1 2 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #2 3 Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce 100K+ · 5.0★ (350) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #15 10 too low 6 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #14 8 too low 7 Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 PowerBI Embed Reports 500+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #8 9 Ninjalytics: Sales Reports & Order Export for WooCommerce and EDD 6K+ · 4.4★ (57) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 MainWP Child Reports 100K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #3 7 too high 11 Order Tip for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.3★ (16) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 WC Cancel Order 5K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 Sales Tax Reports For WooCommerce 800+ · 4.8★ (10) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 Export Products, Orders & Customers for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.6★ (14) wp.org #18 3 too low 16 Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.3★ (32) wp.org #10 6 too high 17 Metorik – Reports & Email Automation for WooCommerce 9K+ · 5.0★ (20) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 Sales Report for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #12 ↑1 7 too high 20 New Order Notification for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.4★ (14) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 YITH WooCommerce Order & Shipment Tracking 7K+ · 3.7★ (15) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 Additional Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 ↓2 1 too low 23 YITH Pre-Order for WooCommerce 6K+ · 3.1★ (16) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 WPC Order Tip for WooCommerce 2K+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓1 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.