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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “selective 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 “selective checkout”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Raffle for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #10 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 100+ 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

Edwiser Bridge – WordPress Moodle Integration places #8 on merit, 4.5★ from 82 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 One page checkout and layouts for woocommerce 3K+ · 4.2★ (36) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 DietPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #3 4 Order On Mobile for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.9★ (66) wp.org #9 5 too low 5 Domain Mapping System | Create Microsites with Multiple Alias Domains (multisite optional) 2K+ · 4.5★ (56) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Post Export Import with Media 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Memberful – Membership Plugin 1K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #13 6 too low 8 Edwiser Bridge – WordPress Moodle Integration 4K+ · 4.5★ (82) wp.org #18 10 too low 9 B2B Invoice Payment Method for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 bSlider – Build Sliders That Bring Your Content to Life 5K+ · 4.0★ (11) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 SuperFlare Cache – Cloudflare Cache & Auto-Purging 60+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 WPC Selective Cart Items for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 8 too high 13 Host Domination Booking Engine: Calendar Sync & Reservation System 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 PayZen for WooCommerce 600+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #6 8 too high 15 Antimanual – Compact AI Agent for Content, Chat & SEO Automation 100+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 CloudScale Backup & Restore 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 7 too low 17 Caloplo Smart Cart for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 Ivno Payment Gateway with Instant Approval 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 WPC Mystery Box for WooCommerce 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Raffle for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 10 too high 21 Titanium Service Zones – Maintenance Mode, Coming Soon & Page Control 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Katalog Visibility for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 OrderReady – Collect Customer Files & Order Details After Checkout for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 FlynCache Purge — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24

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.