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

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 “rules”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 7 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

Dynamic Pricing and Discount Rules for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #10 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 13 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 #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 8865 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. 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★ (5004) wp.org #1 2 Discount Rules for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1374) wp.org #2 3 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2772) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Speculative Loading 70K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 R Rewrite Rules Inspector 10K+ · 5.0★ (26) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Advanced Dynamic Pricing and Discount Rules for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (120) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1717) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1068) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 Discount Rules and Dynamic Pricing for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.7★ (248) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (704) wp.org #17 7 too low 11 Simple Discount Rules for Woocommerce 4K+ · 4.6★ (73) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8865) wp.org #22 10 too low 13 Backup Migration 80K+ · 4.9★ (1333) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 Autoptimize 800K+ · 4.7★ (1428) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Dynamic Pricing With Discount Rules for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.5★ (67) wp.org #11 5 too high 17 Smart Coupons For WooCommerce Coupons 30K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 Advanced Shipping Rates for WooCommerce: Flexible Table Rate Shipping Rules 2K+ · 4.9★ (49) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 FOX – Currency Switcher Professional for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.4★ (250) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Scheduled & Automatic Order Status Controller for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Dynamic Pricing and Discount Rules 1K+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 Dynamic Pricing and Discount Rules for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.0★ (13) wp.org #10 12 too high 23 Discount Rules for WooCommerce – Disco | Dynamic Pricing, Conditions, Bulk, Bundle, BOGO 5K+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #13 10 too high 24 Teydea Login Security – Password Policy, Complexity Rules & Expiration 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 8 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.