wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “plugin recovery”

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 “plugin recovery”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Auto Block Recovery shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 600+ 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

FunnelKit – Funnel Builder Plugin for WooCommerce Checkout places #6 on merit, 5.0★ from 1028 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (626) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #1 2

Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #2 3

WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4

BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current wp.org #3 1 too high 5

GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #5 ↓1 6

FunnelKit – Funnel Builder Plugin for WooCommerce Checkout 30K+ · 5.0★ (1028) wp.org #16 ↑1 10 too low 7

Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #14 7 too low 8

BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #6 2 too high 9

CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce 200K+ · 4.8★ (517) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 10

Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current wp.org #12 ↓2 2 too low 11

Ultimate FAQ Accordion Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (439) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 4 too low 12

Recarto – Abandoned Cart Recovery for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.5★ (28) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #7 5 too high 13

UsersWP – Front-end login form, User Registration, User Profile & Members Directory plugin for WP 20K+ · 4.7★ (183) wp.org #22 ↑1 9 too low 14

ShopLentor – All-in-One WooCommerce Growth & Store Enhancement Plugin 80K+ · 4.5★ (278) wp.org #24 ↓4 10 too low 15

SMS Alert – SMS Notifications & OTP Login, COD Verification, Abandoned Cart Recovery 3K+ · 4.6★ (35) wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too low 16

Five Star Restaurant Reservations – WordPress Booking Plugin 10K+ · 4.7★ (211) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #23 7 too low 17

Cart recovery for WordPress 100+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↑1 7 too high 18

SMS Abandoned Cart Recovery – CartBoss 400+ · 4.9★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too low 19

Cart Lift – Abandoned Cart Recovery for WooCommerce and EDD 900+ · 4.8★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20

ShopMagic Abandoned Cart Recovery for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #11 ↑1 9 too high 21

Auto Block Recovery 600+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #8 13 too high 22

MLSImport: IDX Plugin & MLS Plugin for Real Estate Listings 5K+ · 4.2★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23

Custom Recovery Mode Email 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #13 10 too high 24

NACC WordPress Plugin 100+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.