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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “postal code checker”

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 “postal code checker”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 2 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

Freeze Shipping Alert and Global Hardiness Zones and Frost Data shows at wp.org #11 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its — 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

Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads places #3 on merit, 4.6★ from 698 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 iNext Woo Pincode Checker 600+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #1 2 GNU Terry Pratchett 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698) wp.org #10 7 too low 4 Accept Stripe Payments 20K+ · 4.1★ (114) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 Check Pincode For WooCommerce 300+ · 4.4★ (5) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 Shipping Live Rates for FedEx for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.4★ (27) wp.org #15 9 too low 7 Directory Listings WordPress plugin – uListing 1K+ · 3.9★ (30) wp.org #22 15 too low 8 W WPSprintPlan Delivery Area Checker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 MageComp Pincode Checker 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 5 too high 10 CodeBuddys Delivery Availability Checker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 viralmaisuriyaa Delivery Pincode Checker — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 IPA – Indian Pincode Autofill 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 Hesabfa Accounting 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 ZipScheduler — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 Owldraft Newsletter – Email New Posts to Subscribers — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Advisers Calculators — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Freeze Shipping Alert and Global Hardiness Zones and Frost Data — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 6 too high 18 Shift8 Integration for Gravity Forms and SAP Business One — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too high 19 Pixel Made Simple — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 PepSpectrum Connect — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 AI Rank Suite — AI Search, llms.txt, Schema & SEO — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 AI Schema Gen – AI Readiness Score, Schema Markup & Structured Data for AI Search — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 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.