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← Rankings

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

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 “retail”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 8 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

Change Price Title for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #9 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.8★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

B2BKing — Ultimate WooCommerce B2B and Wholesale Plugin — Wholesale Prices, Bulk Order Form & More places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 109 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #1 2 Wholesale Suite – B2B, Dynamic Pricing & WooCommerce Wholesale Prices 20K+ · 4.8★ (546) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 Quotes for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.6★ (61) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Whols – Wholesale Prices and B2B Store Solution for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 Tiered Pricing Table for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (104) wp.org #6 ↓2 7 Stylish Price List – Price Table Builder & QR Code Restaurant Menu 3K+ · 4.7★ (117) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 B2BKing — Ultimate WooCommerce B2B and Wholesale Plugin — Wholesale Prices, Bulk Order Form & More 10K+ · 4.9★ (109) wp.org #16 8 too low 9 MultiVendorX – WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace AI Powered Solutions 2K+ · 4.8★ (432) wp.org #13 ↑11 4 too low 10 Barcode Generator: Print Product Labels & Order Barcode Label (A4, Thermal/Roll, Letter) 900+ · 4.5★ (74) wp.org #12 ↓3 2 too low 11 Discount Rules for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1395) wp.org #17 6 too low 12 CatalogX Product Catalog, Product Enquiry & Quotes for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.2★ (60) wp.org #7 ↑1 5 too high 13 Maps Plugin using Google Maps for WordPress – WP Google Map 10K+ · 4.8★ (172) wp.org #22 ↓3 9 too low 14 Novelist 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #8 ↓1 6 too high 15 StoreEngine — Complete eCommerce Solution with Memberships, Licensing, Affiliates & More 700+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #11 ↑13 4 too high 16 Oliver POS – WooCommerce POS for iPhone, iPad & Android 700+ · 4.2★ (90) wp.org #14 ↓2 2 too high 17 Agile Store Locator 10K+ · 4.9★ (59) wp.org #24 ↓1 7 too low 18 MJDD Sidrena Cijena 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #15 ↓2 3 too high 19 Extra Fees for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.3★ (42) wp.org #21 ↓3 2 too low 20 Change Price Title for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.8★ (10) wp.org #9 ↑5 11 too high 21 Order Limit for WooCommerce (Free Version) 800+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #23 ↓3 2 too low 22 wePOS – Point Of Sale (POS) for WooCommerce & Dokan 2K+ · 3.5★ (22) wp.org #19 ↓8 3 too high 23 Power Coupons for WooCommerce 30K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 Price & Cart Hider – WooCommerce Catalog Mode, Wholesale & B2B 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓5 4 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.