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

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 “reword”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Beziworld – Withdrawal for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #5 but places #9 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its 20+ 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

Two Factor places #5 on merit, 4.7★ from 209 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 ReWord 10+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #1 2 Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) wp.org #12 ↑1 10 too low 3 Lean Player – Video and Audio Player with Playlist for WordPress, Elementor and Gutenberg 2K+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Domain For Sale – Landing Page Per Domain, Domain Mapping, Offers & Listings 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Two Factor 100K+ · 4.7★ (209) wp.org #16 11 too low 6 USPS Simple Shipping for Woocommerce 8K+ · 4.4★ (28) wp.org #20 ↓1 14 too low 7 Donor Merchant – Donation Form with Recurring Donations, Stripe and PayPal 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 PluginCity Free Shipping Bar for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 Beziworld – Withdrawal for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 AI Customer Support Chatbot for WooCommerce – Gatemi — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 SHIFT64 Phone Validation for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 WPCoreTools Email Verify — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 GlocalSaino Auctions Displayed by Shortcodes — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 WPHEKA Edit Orders for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too high 15 FDesign Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓2 2 too high 16 Five-Star Ratings Shortcode 500+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #24 ↓1 8 too low 17 reala11y – Accessibility Checker & Auto-Fix: WCAG 2.2 Scanner, AI Alt Text, ADA & EAA Audit — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too high 18 Conditionally Load CF7 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 ShopBoost – WooCommerce Toolkit — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too high 20 TierStep – Early Bird Discount, Progressive Discount & Launch Pricing for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓2 3 too high 21 KnowScapes AI Client — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too high 22 COD Deposits and Partial Payments for WooCommerce – Advance Payment on Cash on Delivery — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 TWT AEO Ultimate — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 Text Replacer 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.