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

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 sms”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

TextMe SMS shows at wp.org #6 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

miniOrange 2FA – Two Factor Authentication for WordPress (OTP, SMS, Email, Google Authenticator) places #9 on merit, 4.5★ from 385 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

SMS Alert – SMS Notifications & OTP Login, COD Verification, Abandoned Cart Recovery 3K+ · 4.6★ (35) wp.org #1 2

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #3 1 too low 3

Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244) wp.org #4 1 too low 4

WSMS (formerly WP SMS): SMS and OTP for WordPress and WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.1★ (107) wp.org #2 2 too high 5

Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #10 ↓2 5 too low 6

Brevo – Email, SMS, Web Push, Chat, and more. 100K+ · 4.1★ (284) wp.org #8 ↑6 2 too low 7

Order Tracking – WordPress Status Tracking Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (73) wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too low 8

miniOrange OTP Login, Verification and SMS Notifications 5K+ · 4.7★ (439) wp.org #16 ↑1 8 too low 9

miniOrange 2FA – Two Factor Authentication for WordPress (OTP, SMS, Email, Google Authenticator) 10K+ · 4.5★ (385) wp.org #22 ↑2 13 too low 10

Sender – Newsletter, SMS and Email Marketing Automation for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.8★ (83) wp.org #15 5 too low 11

Email Marketing for WooCommerce by Omnisend 40K+ · 4.9★ (169) wp.org #20 9 too low 12

Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 ↓4 1 too low 13

Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #23 10 too low 14

Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.3★ (32) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement wp.org #5 ↑5 9 too high 15

Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (625) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #19 4 too low 16

Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current wp.org #24 ↓2 8 too low 17

WC – APG SMS Notifications 300+ · 4.8★ (23) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #11 6 too high 18

Trakoo – Orders Tracking for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (58) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too high 19

BulkGate SMS Plugin for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.1★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #7 ↓1 12 too high 20

Kargo Takip, Kargo SMS, İlçe Mahalle Sözleşme by Hezarfen 2K+ · 5.0★ (43) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 ↑2 1 too low 21

TextMe SMS 500+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #6 ↓1 15 too high 22

Alpha SMS 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #12 10 too high 23

ShopMagic – Twilio SMS 700+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too high 24

Texty – SMS Notification for WordPress, WooCommerce, Dokan and more 7K+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓1 10 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.