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

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 tip”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 4 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

Order Tip & Donations for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #3 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 474 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #1 2

Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #2 3

WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #10 ↓1 7 too low 4

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #9 ↑3 5 too low 5

Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #7 2 too low 6

WPBot – AI ChatBot for Live Support, Lead Generation, WordPress Automation, AI Services 5K+ · 4.7★ (124) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #6 7

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #13 6 too low 8

Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too low 9

Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #18 ↑5 9 too low 10

GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too low 11

CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes 200K+ · 4.7★ (326) wp.org #20 ↓1 9 too low 12

Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474) wp.org #24 12 too low 13

Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281) wp.org #17 4 too low 14

Wallet for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (188) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 1 too low 15

ShareThis Dashboard for Google Analytics 80K+ · 3.6★ (138) not PHP-current wp.org #14 1 too high 16

Booktics – Appointment Booking Calendar for Service Businesses 700+ · 4.2★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #8 8 too high 17

Tip Jar WP 200+ · 3.3★ (7) thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #4 13 too high 18

Food Menu – Restaurant Menu & Online Ordering for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓1 4 too low 19

Order Tip & Donations for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #3 16 too high 20

Create 6K+ · 4.3★ (25) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21

Donation or Tip For WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #5 16 too high 22

WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23

Essential Content Types 20K+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #16 7 too high 24

Integration for listmonk mailing list and newsletter service 100+ · 5.0★ (1) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓1 1 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.