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← Rankings

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

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 “pet”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 5 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

eCommerce Companion shows at wp.org #3 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 6K+ 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

ReferralCandy for WooCommerce – Advanced Referral & Affiliate Program places #4 on merit, 4.9★ from 211 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #1 2 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #2 3 Appointment Booking Plugin – LatePoint | Calendar & Scheduling for WordPress 100K+ · 4.9★ (107) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 ReferralCandy for WooCommerce – Advanced Referral & Affiliate Program 300+ · 4.9★ (211) wp.org #13 9 too low 5 Advanced Classifieds & Directory Pro 2K+ · 4.7★ (96) wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6 Fluent Booking – The Ultimate Appointments Scheduling, Events Booking, Events Calendar Solution 20K+ · 4.7★ (46) wp.org #10 ↓3 4 too low 7 Happyforms – Form Builder for WordPress: Drag & Drop Contact Forms, Surveys, Payments & Multipurpose Forms 20K+ · 4.4★ (433) wp.org #16 ↑2 9 too low 8 Sina Extension for Elementor 40K+ · 4.9★ (35) wp.org #7 ↑2 1 too high 9 Agile Store Locator 10K+ · 4.9★ (59) wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too low 10 File Uploads Addon for WooCommerce 4K+ · 3.7★ (27) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 AWP Classifieds 3K+ · 4.6★ (301) wp.org #17 ↑6 6 too low 12 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too high 13 SKT Templates – 100% Free Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 8 too high 14 Wapuu Dashboard Pet 50+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #6 8 too high 15 PetPress 70+ · 4.6★ (9) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 List Petfinder Pets 400+ · 4.8★ (11) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17 Responsive Starter Templates – Elementor Templates & Starter Sites 10K+ · 4.5★ (39) wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too low 18 eCommerce Companion 6K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 15 too high 19 Dynamic AJAX Product Filters for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Garanție SGR pentru WooCommerce 90+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21 SUBRE – Product Subscription for WooCommerce – Recurring Payments 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #22 ↓6 1 too low 22 WPC Product Size Chart for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 Pet Adoption Listings 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 24 DirectoryPress – Business Directory And Classified Ad Listing 600+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓2 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.