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

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 “request”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 2 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

WPC Request a Quote for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #10 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 70+ 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

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 397 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 GDPR Data Request Form 5K+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #1 2 ELEX WooCommerce Request a Quote 2K+ · 4.7★ (23) wp.org #2 3 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 NP Quote Request for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.6★ (87) wp.org #4 ↓3 5 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220) wp.org #12 ↓2 6 too low 7 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 #13 6 too low 8 PiWeb Cancel order / Refund request for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (39) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #16 ↑5 7 too low 10 YITH Request a Quote for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.3★ (66) wp.org #3 7 too high 11 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #19 ↓8 8 too low 12 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #21 ↓3 9 too low 13 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 Request a Quote for WooCommerce – Get a Quote Button 6K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #8 ↓1 6 too high 15 HTTP Requests Manager 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 too high 16 L Log HTTP Requests 2K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too high 17 GDPRess | Eliminate external requests to increase GDPR compliance 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #11 ↓2 6 too high 18 Freight Shipping Quote – Simplify Shipping Cost Requests 300+ · 4.7★ (16) wp.org #18 ↑2 19 WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) wp.org #22 ↓8 3 too low 20 Changeloger – Changelog, Release Notes, Roadmap & Feature Requests 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #20 ↓3 21 Direct Invoices – Invoicing & Payment Requests for WordPress 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 WPC Request a Quote for WooCommerce 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 12 too high 23 B2B Request a Quote 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓7 24 GoPrayer 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↑2 7 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.