wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “partial payment”
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 payment”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 11 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
Partial Shipment for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #6 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Bit Form – Contact Form, Payment Forms, Multi Step Forms, Calculator & Custom Form Builder places #12 on merit, 5.0★ from 259 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.
Deposits & Partial Payments for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (111) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
PiWeb Disable payment method / Partial payment for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (38) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 
Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591)
wp.org #10 6 too low 5 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6 
Deposits & Partial Payments for WooCommerce – Bayna 1K+ · 5.0★ (49) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 
Advanced Partial Payment or Deposit for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.6★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↑8 3 too high 8 
Wallet for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (188) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓2 9 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #18 ↑2 9 too low 10 
Payment Gateway for PayPal on WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (73) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #21 ↓4 10 too low 12 Bit Form – Contact Form, Payment Forms, Multi Step Forms, Calculator & Custom Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (259)
wp.org #24 12 too low 13 
SureForms – Contact Form Builder, AI Forms, Payment Form, Survey & Quiz 500K+ · 4.8★ (102)
wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too low 14 
Payment Gateway of Stripe for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.4★ (66) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 1 too high 15 Partial Shipment for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.4★ (9) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↓1 9 too high 16 
Yoco Payments 10K+ · 4.4★ (43) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too high 17 
Payment Gateway of PayPal for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.2★ (79) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 3 too high 18 
Mollie Payments for WooCommerce 100K+ · 3.6★ (69) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓3 7 too high 19 
Wallet System for WooCommerce – Digital Wallet, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), Instant Cashback, Referral program, Partial & Subscription Payments 1K+ · 4.9★ (65) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Backend Payments for WooCommerce 800+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too high 21 
Online Payments with iK Pay Gateway 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑2 1 too high 22 
Pay. Payment Methods for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.7★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 23 
SR Partial Payments for WooCommerce 40+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too high 24 
PCOD – Partial COD, Payment Gateway Restrictions & Fees | for WooCommerce 100+ · 2.3★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
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.