Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “recharge”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Wallet & Cashback Plugin for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Mollie Payments for WooCommerce places #8 on merit, 3.6★ from 69 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wallet System for WooCommerce – Digital Wallet, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), Instant Cashback, Referral program, Partial & Subscription Payments 1K+ · 4.9★ (65) wp.org #1 2 Email Marketing for WooCommerce by Omnisend 40K+ · 4.9★ (169) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 ReferralCandy for WooCommerce – Advanced Referral & Affiliate Program 300+ · 4.9★ (211) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 WPS Bookings for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.5★ (43) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 COD Order Confirmation for India 70+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 SoftTech-IT bKash, Rocket, Nagad 5K+ · 4.3★ (42) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 ShopWP 700+ · 4.0★ (65) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 Mollie Payments for WooCommerce 100K+ · 3.6★ (69) wp.org #21 ↑2 13 too low 9 TopSMS 20+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too high 10 Spoki – Chat Buttons and WooCommerce Notifications 600+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #22 12 too low 11 HelpJet – AI Support Chatbot Trained on Your Website & Docs 100+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #6 ↑1 5 too high 12 Wallet Ready Gift Cards for WooCommerce by GiftRocketWP 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #9 ↑2 3 too high 13 ProntoSpedire.it — Shipping — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↑2 1 too high 14 SubPortal – Subscription Customer Portal for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 Lootly Loyalty & Rewards 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑1 4 too high 16 Appalify Subscriptions for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↑2 1 too high 17 RamCode Fast Orders for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 nextSIM for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too high 19 AlertaPrecio — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too high 20 kwtSMS: OTP & SMS Notifications — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too high 21 Reloadly Plugin 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too high 22 Valuetopup 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Actionwear products sync 50+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 Wallet & Cashback Plugin for WooCommerce — · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↑1 10 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.