Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “service points”

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

Sendcloud for WooCommerce: Automated Shipping, Branded Tracking & Returns shows at wp.org #10 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 7K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Under Construction places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 1285 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create Loyalty Programs, Reward Customer Purchases, Referral Points, User Badges, and Gamification 6K+ · 4.5★ (180) wp.org #1 2 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 GamiPress – Gamification plugin to reward points, badges & ranks in WordPress, now with AI 10K+ · 4.9★ (493) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 Shipping Live Rates and Access Points for UPS for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.7★ (77) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 Points Management System For Gamification, Ranks, Badges, and Loyalty Rewards Program – myCred 10K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 TermsFeed AutoTerms: Privacy Policy Generator, Cookie Consent, GDPR, CCPA, Terms & Conditions, Disclaimers, Cookies Policy, EULA 70K+ · 4.7★ (246) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Simple Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create a Loyalty Program 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #9 ↓6 1 too low 9 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #8 ↑6 2 too high 11 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too low 12 Under Construction 600K+ · 4.8★ (1285) wp.org #21 ↓10 9 too low 13 Site Reviews 60K+ · 4.9★ (376) wp.org #24 ↓4 11 too low 14 Vitepos – Point of Sale (POS) for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (54) wp.org #13 ↓3 1 too high 15 WCPOS – Point of Sale (POS) plugin for WooCommerce 5K+ · 3.7★ (84) wp.org #12 ↓4 3 too high 16 SmartyParcel – DHL Express, GLS, InPost & Nova Post for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.6★ (56) wp.org #18 ↓3 2 too low 17 WP BASE Booking of Appointments, Services and Events 100+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #23 ↓6 6 too low 18 Booktics – Appointment Booking Calendar for Service Businesses 700+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too high 19 Sendcloud for WooCommerce: Automated Shipping, Branded Tracking & Returns 7K+ · 3.0★ (13) wp.org #10 ↓1 9 too high 20 LoyaltyX – Loyalty Program, Points and Rewards for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21 FooSales – Point of Sale (POS) for WooCommerce 600+ · 3.2★ (13) wp.org #19 ↑3 2 too high 22 RewardsWP – Loyalty Points & Referral Program for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 AI Services 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too high 24 Loyalty Points and Rewards for Square 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↑2 7 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.