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

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 samples”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 7 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

Free Product Samples for WooCommerce – Try Before You Buy, Request Samples by Mail shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 60+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 142 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 signals wp.org

Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #1 2

CWILL (Formerly ParcelPanel) – Shipment Tracking, Tracking & Order Tracking for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.9★ (538) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

Order Export & Order Import for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.7★ (337) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #2 1 too high 4

MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497) wp.org #7 3 too low 5

WP-Sweep 100K+ · 4.7★ (138) wp.org #15 10 too low 6

WPSyncSheets For WooCommerce – Import & Export Orders, Products, Customers & Coupons to Google Sheets in Real-Time 600+ · 5.0★ (27) wp.org #10 ↑4 4 too low 7

Sequential Order Numbers for WooCommerce 900+ · 4.9★ (16) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #5 2 too high 8

WP All Export – Order Export for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.9★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #4 4 too high 9

Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142) wp.org #23 14 too low 10

WPC Product Bundles for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.4★ (220) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11

Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current wp.org #22 ↓3 11 too low 12

Free Product Sample for WooCommerce 200+ · 3.6★ (34) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #8 4 too high 13

Min Max Step Quantity Limits Manager for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.9★ (51) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 3 too low 14

Index WP MySQL For Speed 50K+ · 4.8★ (99) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 7 too low 15

Printful Integration for WooCommerce 50K+ · 2.5★ (97) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16

Print Anywhere & Create PDFs of Order Receipts, Invoices, Labels & More. 1K+ · 4.7★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too high 17

ChatHelp – Click to Chat Button, Chat to Order for WooCommerce & Floating Chat Form 2K+ · 4.4★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #17 18

Order Tags or Order Label for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #6 12 too high 19

CSV Importer Plus for ACF 400+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #24 5 too low 20

Export All Posts, Products, Orders & Users | WP Ultimate Exporter | WordPress CSV Export 6K+ · 3.2★ (16) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #20 ↑1 21

DesignSetGo 8K+ · 5.0★ (3) heavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #18 3 too high 22

Free Product Samples for WooCommerce – Try Before You Buy, Request Samples by Mail 60+ · 3.7★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #9 13 too high 23

Stylish Order Form Builder 20+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too high 24

Simple Product Sample 50+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↓1 13 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.