wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “plc”
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 “plc”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Buried gem
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields places #1 on merit, 4.8★ from 418 reviews, but shows at wp.org #7. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #7 ↑1 6 too low 2 
Post Label Center (PLC) Manager for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Paystack WooCommerce Payment Gateway 20K+ · 4.5★ (25)
wp.org #14 ↓1 11 too low 4 
Stock Ticker 2K+ · 4.4★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 11 too low 5 
TK Paybill and Till Checkout for M-Pesa 20+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 too high 6 
Flying Pay 50+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↓1 3 too high 7 
Autify Digital Lloyds® Gateway for WooCommerce 100+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #4 3 too high 8 
AlkaPay Payment Gateway with M-Pesa for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too high 9 
AutifyDigital Lloyds® Pay Now for payment 30+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too high 10 
Skillmerc Sync for Sage Accounting — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
Sync Sage 100 — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #9 2 too high 12 C CitedBy SEO Fields — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 
ComptaFlow UK by MeeTempo — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14 
Marupurupu Checkout for M-Pesa — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 
HSBC Open Payments — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 
Dialog eSMS 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 17 
AnyViz — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 18 
WP PLC Connect — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 
WP PLC Swissknife 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 
WP PLC Tag — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 21 
Page Listing Categories 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓1 22 P Premium Link Cloaker Lite 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 23 
Kripto Para Dönüştürücü ve Döviz Hesaplama 40+ · 3.5★ (2) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 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.