wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “paypal tracking”
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 “paypal tracking”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 6 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
PayPal POS for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #14 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 21 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
AfterShip Tracking – All-In-One WooCommerce Order Tracking (Free plan available) places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 633 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Payment Plugins for PayPal WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (127) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (355) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
CWILL (Formerly ParcelPanel) – Shipment Tracking, Tracking & Order Tracking for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.9★ (538)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #11 5 too low 7 
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #12 ↓3 5 too low 8 
Payment Gateway for PayPal on WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (73) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 4 too high 9 
Donations via PayPal 20K+ · 4.7★ (27)
wp.org #5 4 too high 10 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #9 ↑7 1 too high 11 
Order Tracking – WordPress Status Tracking Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (73)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 AfterShip Tracking – All-In-One WooCommerce Order Tracking (Free plan available) 7K+ · 4.8★ (633)
wp.org #18 ↓1 6 too low 13 
Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591)
wp.org #20 ↓1 7 too low 14 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #16 ↓2 2 too low 15 
Trakoo – Orders Tracking for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (58) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 7 too high 16 
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too low 17 
CP Contact Form with PayPal 800+ · 3.8★ (65)
wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too high 18 
Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
Quick PayPal Payments: Payment Button & Form 1K+ · 4.4★ (32) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too high 20 
Synctrack – Sync PayPal Tracking Auto 300+ · 5.0★ (26)
wp.org #24 ↓2 4 too low 21 
CP Referrer and Conversion Tracking 300+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓1 22 PayPal POS for WooCommerce 4K+ · 3.5★ (21) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓3 8 too high 23 P Payment Gateway for PayPal Pro on WooCommerce 90+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 
FunnelKit Payment Gateway with PayPal for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 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.