Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “referral manager”

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 “referral manager”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 3 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

Sawir Referral – Refer a Friend for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #2 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 20+ 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

PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 1322 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Affiliates Manager 8K+ · 4.1★ (61) wp.org #1 2 Mooberry Book Manager 1K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too low 3 Affiliates 2K+ · 4.5★ (137) wp.org #7 ↑1 4 too low 4 Points Management System For Gamification, Ranks, Badges, and Loyalty Rewards Program – myCred 10K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #8 ↓6 4 too low 5 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #15 ↓3 10 too low 6 Coupon Affiliates – Affiliate Plugin for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #6 ↑1 7 Beehive Analytics – Google Analytics Dashboard 20K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #14 ↑1 6 too low 9 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3156) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 FluentAffiliate – Affiliate Program Management Suite, Affiliates Manager 2K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #3 ↑1 7 too high 11 GamiPress – Gamification plugin to reward points, badges & ranks in WordPress, now with AI 10K+ · 4.9★ (493) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 HandL UTM Grabber / Tracker 10K+ · 4.8★ (146) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 Affiliate Program Suite — SliceWP Affiliates 10K+ · 4.9★ (111) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 Transients Manager 20K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 SEO Engine – Smart SEO with AI, Schema & Redirection for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 Sawir Referral – Refer a Friend for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 ↑1 14 too high 17 Hafenstudios Ads – Ad Manager, AdSense & Banner Ads 100+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 FlexStock – Product Stock Sync with Google Sheets for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 Multilevel Referral Plugin for WooCommerce 30+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #9 10 too high 20 Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #13 ↑1 7 too high 21 YITH WooCommerce Affiliates 6K+ · 4.2★ (19) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 Hitsteps Web Analytics 700+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #11 ↑2 11 too high 23 Affiliates Events Manager 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 Payment Gateway for PhonePe and for Woocommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24

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.