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

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 “reward”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 5 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

myCred Addons – Ultimate myCred Modules To Support WordPress Gamification and Loyalty Rewards shows at wp.org #7 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 400+ 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

Poptin – Email Marketing Automation, Newsletter & Exit Pop Ups, Email Popups places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 701 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 Points Management System For Gamification, Ranks, Badges, and Loyalty Rewards Program – myCred 10K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #1 2 Loyalty Points Rewards and Referral for WooCommerce – WPLoyalty 3K+ · 5.0★ (310) wp.org #2 3 GamiPress – Gamification plugin to reward points, badges & ranks in WordPress, now with AI 10K+ · 4.9★ (493) wp.org #3 4 Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create Loyalty Programs, Reward Customer Purchases, Referral Points, User Badges, and Gamification 6K+ · 4.5★ (180) wp.org #4 5 Side Cart Woocommerce | Woocommerce Cart 70K+ · 4.9★ (453) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 Affiliate Program Suite — SliceWP Affiliates 10K+ · 4.9★ (111) wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too low 7 Wallet for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (188) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 YayMail – WooCommerce Email Customizer 50K+ · 4.8★ (291) wp.org #14 ↑4 6 too low 9 Gratisfaction- Loyalty, Rewards , Referral, Birthday and Giveaway Program 600+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #9 ↓1 10 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Poptin – Email Marketing Automation, Newsletter & Exit Pop Ups, Email Popups 20K+ · 4.9★ (701) wp.org #21 ↑1 10 too low 12 Sliding Cart for WooCommerce by FunnelKit – Skip Cart & Reach WooCommerce Checkout Faster 30K+ · 5.0★ (111) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 Site Reviews 60K+ · 4.9★ (376) wp.org #23 ↓2 10 too low 14 Contests by Rewards Fuel 40+ · 4.4★ (65) wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15 Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #5 10 too high 16 Discount Rules and Dynamic Pricing for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.7★ (248) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 MyRewards 2K+ · 4.7★ (58) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 Modern Cart – WooCommerce Side Cart & Popup Cart 60K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too high 19 XT Points & Rewards for WooCommerce 50+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too high 20 EchoRewards – Refer a Friend Rewards Program for WooCommerce 300+ · 3.9★ (8) wp.org #12 8 too high 21 GIFTiT – Free Gifts for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.2★ (43) wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too low 22 RewardsWP – Loyalty Points & Referral Program for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 myCred Addons – Ultimate myCred Modules To Support WordPress Gamification and Loyalty Rewards 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 16 too high 24 Power Coupons for WooCommerce 30K+ · 5.0★ (3) 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.