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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “plus minus”

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 “plus minus”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 8 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

PM Plus Minus AJAX Cart shows at wp.org #10 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Advanced Coupons for WooCommerce – BOGO, Store Credit & WooCommerce Coupons places #8 on merit, 4.4★ from 184 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Quantity Plus Minus Button for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.4★ (30) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Lightweight Accordion 10K+ · 5.0★ (60) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 StoreCustomizer – A plugin to Customize all WooCommerce Pages 20K+ · 4.8★ (127) wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too low 5 SMNTCS Quantity Increment Buttons for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.5★ (20) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Change Quantity on Checkout for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (52) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 Event Tickets and Registration 90K+ · 3.5★ (236) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Advanced Coupons for WooCommerce – BOGO, Store Credit & WooCommerce Coupons 20K+ · 4.4★ (184) wp.org #14 ↓3 6 too low 9 Min Max Control – Min Max Quantity & Step Control for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (79) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 Product Table for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.8★ (295) wp.org #15 5 too low 11 Discounts & Promotions Automation 90+ · 4.7★ (23) wp.org #11 ↑1 12 Ajax Cart for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.4★ (39) wp.org #12 13 PVT – Product Variation Table for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (49) wp.org #18 ↓2 5 too low 14 Happy FAQs – FAQ, Product FAQ & Help Center 1K+ · 4.8★ (23) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #16 ↓6 1 too low 16 Sliced Invoices – WordPress Invoice Plugin 4K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17 Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner 1K+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 Fast Cart – Ultralight Ajax Side Cart for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #13 ↑1 5 too high 19 PM Plus Minus AJAX Cart 20+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 ↓1 9 too high 20 Product Page Customizer for WooCommerce 50+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #17 ↓4 3 too high 21 Digital Table of Contents 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too low 22 QuantityPro for WooCommerce 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too high 23 Quantity Buttons for WooCommerce 100+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 TG Product Quantity Plus Minus Button 100+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓4 3 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.