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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “paddle”

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 “paddle”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 2 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

SaleMint – Paddle Checkout for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #3 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress places #9 on merit, 4.1★ from 135 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 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #13 ↑1 11 too low 3 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #12 ↓2 9 too low 4 ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 HandyPlugins PaddlePress – Paddle Integration for WordPress 60+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Subscriptions for WooCommerce with Stripe Recurring Payments 1K+ · 4.9★ (25) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 Yandex Metrica 20K+ · 3.8★ (33) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 Simply Disable Comments 8K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too high 9 NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress 5K+ · 4.1★ (135) wp.org #21 ↓1 12 too low 10 Magic Login – Magic Link & Passwordless Authentication for WordPress – Login Without Password 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #17 ↓2 7 too low 11 Checkout Gateway for Paddle 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #1 10 too high 12 FluentCart A New Era of eCommerce – Faster, Lighter, and Simpler 9K+ · 4.5★ (46) wp.org #20 ↑3 8 too low 13 WPSmartPay – Payment Forms, Invoices, Donations & Subscriptions 100+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #22 ↓1 9 too low 14 StoreEngine — Complete eCommerce Solution with Memberships, Licensing, Affiliates & More 700+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 UddoktaPay 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 SaleMint – Paddle Checkout for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 13 too high 17 Subscriptions for WooCommerce Recurring Payments with Membership Content Restriction 500+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #15 ↑2 2 too high 18 AVIF Uploader – Upload, Display and Fix AVIF Images 4K+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #10 ↑1 8 too high 19 Direct Checkout – Quick View – Buy Now For WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 ↑1 8 too high 20 Compressed Emoji 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 Security.txt Manager 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too high 22 Unagi 800+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 Knit Pay Pro – Mercado Pago, CCAvenue, Easebuzz, Thawani 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 PDF Password Protect 200+ · 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.