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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “partial orders”

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 “partial orders”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 10 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 #10 but places #19 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

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #12 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Deposits & Partial Payments for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (111) wp.org #1 2 Phone Orders for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (32) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #8 5 too low 4 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470) wp.org #14 9 too low 6 Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406) wp.org #12 6 too low 7 Partial Shipment for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Advanced Partial Payment or Deposit for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.6★ (13) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 PiWeb Disable payment method / Partial payment for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 Deposits & Partial Payments for WooCommerce – Bayna 1K+ · 5.0★ (49) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) wp.org #11 12 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 Smart Online Order for Clover 1K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 PiWeb Cancel order / Refund request for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (39) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 Wallet for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (188) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 WC Cancel Order 5K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Order Tip for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.3★ (16) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 WebToffee EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 WP All Export – Order Export for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.9★ (8) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 WooBooster Partial COD for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Track Orders for WooCommerce – Multi Carrier WooCommerce Shipping 200+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #22 23 SR Partial Payments for WooCommerce 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 PCOD – Partial COD, Payment Gateway Restrictions & Fees | for WooCommerce 100+ · 2.3★ (4) wp.org #20 4 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.