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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sections order”

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 “sections order”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Custom Order Status for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #10 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.3★ average from 32 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 2144 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 Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #1 2 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #2 3 Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce 100K+ · 5.0★ (350) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Order Export & Order Import for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.7★ (337) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #7 ↑2 1 too low 7 CWILL (Formerly ParcelPanel) – Shipment Tracking, Tracking & Order Tracking for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.9★ (538) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #16 ↓6 8 too low 9 OneClick Chat to Order 30K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10 Order Tracking – WordPress Status Tracking Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (73) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Art WooCommerce Order One Click 4K+ · 5.0★ (36) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25) wp.org #6 ↓2 6 too high 13 Order Tip for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.3★ (16) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too high 14 Order Approval for Woocommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (23) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 Order Minimum/Maximum Amount Limits for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (40) wp.org #15 16 Order Delivery Date for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.3★ (61) wp.org #18 2 too low 17 Supplier Order Email 300+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.3★ (32) wp.org #10 ↑7 8 too high 19 Scheduled & Automatic Order Status Controller for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 Place Order Without Payment for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too high 21 Order Status Control for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 Order Tracker for WooCommerce – Track Customer Order 900+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 YITH Pre-Order for WooCommerce 6K+ · 3.1★ (16) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 WPC Order Notes for WooCommerce 800+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #22 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.