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

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 “sem”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 6 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

Pix 4x sem juros – Pagaleve shows at wp.org #15 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Claudio Sanches – Correios for WooCommerce places #5 on merit, 4.9★ from 868 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 PagBank / PagSeguro e Vindi para WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (64) wp.org #1 2 Correios Automático – Rastreio, Frete, Etiqueta, Declaração e Devolução 4K+ · 5.0★ (90) wp.org #2 3 Campos Checkout Brasileiro para WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (45) wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too low 4 Virtuaria Correios – Frete, Etiqueta, Rastreio e Declaração 500+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Claudio Sanches – Correios for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.9★ (868) wp.org #22 17 too low 6 Autocomplete Address for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #6 ↓3 7 AutoCEP 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 PagBank for WooCommerce 4K+ · 3.6★ (7) wp.org #3 ↑2 5 too high 9 Billingo Official for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.1★ (14) wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too low 10 Melhor Envio 10K+ · 2.2★ (59) wp.org #5 ↓1 5 too high 11 Payment Gateway – Mpesa for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #13 ↑2 2 too low 12 Moloni 2K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 Cálculo do frete somente com o CEP – WC Brasil 1K+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too high 14 Bulk NoIndex & NoFollow Toolkit 2K+ · 4.3★ (9) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too low 15 Darven Preços Parcelados 200+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 AI for Home Services 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Pedido Mínimo para WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.9★ (9) wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too low 18 ShinyStat Analytics 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↑1 8 too high 19 Simulador de Parcelas para Loja Virtual 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 Payment Method Discounts 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Virtuaria Rede ( Itaú ) Pagamentos 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 iPag Pagamentos Digitais 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 CTT Correio Registado 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too high 24 Pix 4x sem juros – Pagaleve 100+ · 3.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 9 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.