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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “secure checkout”

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 “secure checkout”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Tabby Checkout shows at wp.org #3 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 4K+ 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

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 2144 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #8 ↑2 6 too low 3 Payoneer Checkout 5K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 WP Express Checkout (Fast Payments via PayPal & Stripe) 1K+ · 4.9★ (32) wp.org #4 ↑2 5 FunnelKit – Funnel Builder Plugin for WooCommerce Checkout 30K+ · 5.0★ (1028) wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too low 6 WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too low 8 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #20 ↑2 12 too low 9 WP Stripe Checkout 1K+ · 4.4★ (23) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too high 10 Secure Gateway for Authorize.net and WooCommerce by Pledged Plugins 10K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) wp.org #10 ↓3 1 too high 12 Easy Upload Files During Checkout 500+ · 4.7★ (60) wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too low 13 Payment Gateway of Stripe for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.4★ (66) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14 Payment Gateway of PayPal for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.2★ (79) wp.org #19 ↓1 5 too low 15 ABC Crypto Checkout 1K+ · 4.9★ (30) wp.org #21 ↓2 6 too low 16 g-FFL Checkout 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #9 7 too high 17 Checkout for PayPal 500+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too high 18 Tabby Checkout 4K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 15 too high 19 WP Eventbrite Embedded Checkout – Ticket Checkout Block, Popup & Elementor Widget 700+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 Digital Signature Checkout For WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #23 ↑1 3 too low 21 Worldline Online Checkout 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 ↓1 15 too high 22 Checkout.com Payment Gateway 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓3 2 too low 23 Livees Checkout 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too high 24 Checkout Gateway for Paddle 80+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.