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

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 “rounding”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 3 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

Loan Calculator shows at wp.org #10 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 8 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

Smart COD for WooCommerce places #4 on merit, 4.6★ from 52 reviews, but shows at wp.org #8. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 YayCurrency – WooCommerce Multi-Currency Switcher 7K+ · 4.8★ (114) wp.org #1 2 Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973) wp.org #2 3 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #3 4 Smart COD for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.6★ (52) wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too low 5 Custom Shipping Methods for WooCommerce – Create Weight based Shipping, Conditional Shipping, Table Rate Shipping and much more 3K+ · 4.8★ (18) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 Syncee Premium Dropshipping & Wholesale 1K+ · 4.5★ (49) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too low 7 Tiny Yardage Calculator 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 Price Update: Bulk Pricing Editor for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.0★ (10) wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too high 9 PVB Contact Form 7 Calculator 600+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too high 10 GravityWP – CSS Selector 4K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too high 11 Calculator Builder – Create an Online Calculator 1K+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 Express, Certified Post, Bike Delivery and Iranian Postal Companies for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.1★ (16) wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 Order Minimum/Maximum Amount Limits for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (40) wp.org #19 ↓1 6 too low 14 Events Search & Filter Bar for The Events Calendar 3K+ · 4.8★ (29) wp.org #20 ↓1 6 too low 15 Quick Download Button 1K+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #21 ↓1 6 too low 16 Product Price by Formula for WooCommerce 100+ · 3.8★ (15) wp.org #16 ↓1 17 Tax‑Proof Coupons for WooCommerce 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too high 18 Loan Calculator 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 DMC Promo Banner – Sale Notifications & Announcement Bar 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 Bulk Price Editor for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓1 7 too high 21 Tranzly™ – AI Translation & Multilingual 7K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 U2Code Product Multicurrency for WooCommerce 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 W Webshipper – Automated Shipping 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓3 1 too low 24 Multi Currency Switcher for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.