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

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 plugin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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

Multilevel Referral Plugin for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 594 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167) wp.org #1 2

Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

Coupon Affiliates – Affiliate Plugin for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #2 1 too high 4

Loyalty Points Rewards and Referral for WooCommerce – WPLoyalty 3K+ · 5.0★ (310) wp.org #4 5

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #7 2 too low 6

WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #5 1 too high 7

Gratisfaction- Loyalty, Rewards , Referral, Birthday and Giveaway Program 600+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #6 1 too high 8

Contact Form by BestWebSoft – Advanced WP Contact Form Builder for WordPress 30K+ · 4.0★ (292) wp.org #9 1 too low 9

Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create Loyalty Programs, Reward Customer Purchases, Referral Points, User Badges, and Gamification 6K+ · 4.5★ (180) wp.org #10 1 too low 10

ReferralCandy for WooCommerce – Advanced Referral & Affiliate Program 300+ · 4.9★ (211) wp.org #13 3 too low 11

GamiPress – Gamification plugin to reward points, badges & ranks in WordPress, now with AI 10K+ · 4.9★ (493) wp.org #19 8 too low 12

WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software 20K+ · 4.9★ (594) wp.org #24 12 too low 13

Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO – Find & Fix Broken Internal, External & Video Links 200K+ · 3.8★ (87) wp.org #14 1 too low 14

Wallet System for WooCommerce – Digital Wallet, Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL), Instant Cashback, Referral program, Partial & Subscription Payments 1K+ · 4.9★ (65) wp.org #18 4 too low 15

FlexMeeting – Webinar & Meeting Plugin for Jitsi Meet 1K+ · 4.5★ (38) wp.org #15 16

AliNext – AliExpress Dropshipping Plugin for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.3★ (53) wp.org #21 5 too low 17

Affiliates for WooCommerce – Affiliate Program, Referral Tracking & Commission Payouts 300+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #12 5 too high 18

Memberful – Membership Plugin 900+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #20 2 too low 19

Feeds for TikTok (TikTok feed, video, and gallery plugin) 70K+ · 4.3★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #17 2 too high 20

Multilevel Referral Plugin for WooCommerce 30+ · 3.7★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #8 12 too high 21

RewardsWP – Loyalty Points & Referral Program for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #11 10 too high 22

Sawir Referral – Refer a Friend for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #16 6 too high 23

Partnero – Affiliate & Referral Program Management for WordPress 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too high 24 A AffiliateWP – External Referral Links 700+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #23 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.