wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “rate”
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 “rate”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20.
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.
Ranked above its merit
Extra Shipping Rates for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ 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
Customer Reviews for WooCommerce places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 1539 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #1 2 
Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Table Rate Shipping for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (74)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Flat Rate Shipping Method for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.2★ (76)
wp.org #4 5 
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6 
Shipping Live Rates for USPS for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (30)
wp.org #5 ↑8 1 too high 7 
kk Star Ratings – Rate Post & Collect User Feedbacks 70K+ · 3.9★ (171)
wp.org #7 ↓2 8 
Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071)
wp.org #14 ↑3 6 too low 9 
Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215)
wp.org #17 8 too low 10 Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1539)
wp.org #22 ↓2 12 too low 11 
WowShipping – Table Rate & Weight Based Shipping 700+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too high 12 
Shipping Live Rates and Access Points for UPS for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.7★ (77)
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 
Advanced Shipping Rates for WooCommerce: Flexible Table Rate Shipping Rules 2K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #13 ↓1 14 
Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303)
wp.org #23 ↓8 9 too low 15 
Shipping Live Rates for FedEx for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.4★ (27)
wp.org #10 ↑1 5 too high 16 
PI Advanced Flat rate / Conditional shipping for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.9★ (58)
wp.org #20 ↑2 4 too low 17 
Easyship WooCommerce Shipping Rates 2K+ · 4.2★ (54)
wp.org #21 ↑3 4 too low 18 Extra Shipping Rates for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #6 12 too high 19 
Live Rates for ShipStation 400+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #16 3 too high 20 
Shipping Rate By Cities 600+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓3 8 too high 21 
Table rate shipping for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.5★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Exchange Rates 800+ · 4.2★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 
Exchange Rates Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too high 24 
Shipped – Table Rate Shipping Method | for WooCommerce 300+ · 4.0★ (4) 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.