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

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 “qrcode”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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

QRCode shows at wp.org #5 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Barcode Generator: Print Product Labels & Order Barcode Label (A4, Thermal/Roll, Letter) places #7 on merit, 4.5★ from 74 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 Kaya QR Code Generator 10K+ · 4.4★ (38) wp.org #2 ↑5 1 too low 2 QR code MeCard/vCard generator 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Google Authenticator 20K+ · 4.3★ (135) wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too low 4 MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (31) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Events Made Easy 1K+ · 4.6★ (111) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 PDF Builder for WooCommerce. Create invoices,packing slips and more 2K+ · 4.7★ (145) wp.org #7 ↓4 1 too low 7 Barcode Generator: Print Product Labels & Order Barcode Label (A4, Thermal/Roll, Letter) 900+ · 4.5★ (74) wp.org #12 ↑9 5 too low 8 My Tickets – Accessible Event Ticketing 600+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #14 ↓3 6 too low 9 Razorpay Payment Links for WooCommerce 900+ · 4.8★ (18) wp.org #9 ↓1 10 Advanced coupon for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #15 5 too low 11 Wooplatnica 400+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #8 ↓2 3 too high 12 QR Code Woocommerce 900+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 QR Code Composer – Automatic QR code generation 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #11 ↑5 2 too high 14 DynamicQRcode 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #16 ↓3 2 too low 15 PDF Builder for WPForms 800+ · 4.0★ (8) wp.org #17 ↓3 2 too low 16 PDF Invoice for WooCommerce + Drag and Drop Template Builder 500+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too low 17 QRCode 400+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #5 ↓1 12 too high 18 PDF for WPForms + Drag and Drop Template Builder 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too low 19 PAY by square pre WooCommerce 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 PDF for Contact Form 7 + Drag and Drop Template Builder 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 PDF for Gravity Forms + Drag And Drop Template Builder 400+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓1 22 QR payment for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too high 23 Floating Follow Button for TikTok and TikCode 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Master QR Code Generator – Fast & Easy QR Code Solution 400+ · 3.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↑2 2 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.