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

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 source”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #9 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder places #12 on merit, 4.5★ from 7322 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. 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 OneClick Chat to Order 30K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #2 3 Image Source Control Lite – Show Image Credits and Captions 3K+ · 4.6★ (42) wp.org #3 4 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #11 7 too low 5 Real Custom Post Order: Create a custom order for your content 8K+ · 4.8★ (42) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too high 8 Order Tracking – WordPress Status Tracking Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (73) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too high 9 Seraphinite Post .DOCX Source 800+ · 4.6★ (45) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 Intuitive Custom Post Order 400K+ · 4.4★ (139) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #21 9 too low 13 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 Data Source for Contact Form 7 300+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 Supplier Order Email 300+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #15 16 Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74) wp.org #23 7 too low 17 Trakoo – Orders Tracking for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (58) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #9 9 too high 19 New Order Notification for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.4★ (14) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Anything Order by Terms 900+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 Order Splitter for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 Order auto complete for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 Order Tags or Order Label for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 Source Lens – Code Finder 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 5 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.