Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “ph”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 3 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

TrackingMore Order Tracking for WooCommerce (Free plan available) shows at wp.org #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 700+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

YayMail – WooCommerce Email Customizer places #2 on merit, 4.8★ from 291 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Image Photo Gallery Final Tiles Grid 20K+ · 4.7★ (353) wp.org #1 2 YayMail – WooCommerce Email Customizer 50K+ · 4.8★ (291) wp.org #12 10 too low 3 Payssion Plugin for Woocommerce 400+ · 3.3★ (12) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 PayMongo Hosted Checkout for WooCommerce 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Rencontre – Dating Site 200+ · 3.8★ (49) wp.org #17 12 too low 6 Datafeedr API 4K+ · 4.0★ (13) wp.org #19 13 too low 7 PrivacyHub Cookie Consent 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 Xendit Payment 3K+ · 4.7★ (9) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 Exchange Rates 800+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #20 11 too low 10 Query Loop Masonry Lite 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 HitPay Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #16 5 too low 12 Coins Pay for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 Gauge Blocks for Elementor — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 iWorks Aquarium Tracker: Water Parameters, Reminders & Notes — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 Ninja Charts – Interactive Charts and Graphs 3K+ · 3.0★ (6) wp.org #15 16 Stillgrey Product Manager for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 MaslBound — COD Manager for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 Narrativva SEM Integration for Seznam — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Mobile App for WooCommerce: ShopApper Mobile App Builder Service for WooCommerce 30+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 CAPI Suite: Meta Pixel, Pinterest & TikTok for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 TraumaRadar — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 H Hybrid Slideshow 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Checkout with ShopeePay 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 TrackingMore Order Tracking for WooCommerce (Free plan available) 700+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #13 11 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.