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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “return 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 “return request”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Order Cancellation & Returns for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #2 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 300+ 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

Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 8869 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 wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) wp.org #7 6 too low 2 PiWeb Cancel order / Refund request for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (39) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Return Refund and Exchange For WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.7★ (124) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496) wp.org #11 ↓1 7 too low 5 YITH Request a Quote for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.3★ (66) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #17 ↑1 11 too low 7 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #15 8 too low 8 Flexible Refund for WooCommerce – EU One Click Return 2K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #1 7 too high 9 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #18 ↑5 9 too low 10 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #24 14 too low 11 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 #22 ↓1 11 too low 12 Withdrawal Button – Easy Return 400+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #19 ↓2 6 too low 14 Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) wp.org #14 15 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #21 ↓1 6 too low 16 WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 L Log HTTP Requests 2K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 SpeedyCache – Cache, Optimization, Performance 500K+ · 4.4★ (30) wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too low 19 Order Cancellation & Returns for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 17 too high 20 BuddyPilot Withdrawal – Easy Returns for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #12 ↑1 8 too high 21 Shiptastic for WooCommerce 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↓1 8 too high 22 WPC Request a Quote for WooCommerce 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↑1 12 too high 23 Product Return Requests Manager for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 15 too high 24 BlackSwan | Block External Request 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓1 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.