wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “shipping”
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 “shipping”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 7 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
WooCommerce Shipping shows at wp.org #6 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 70K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.0★ average from 18 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1071 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.
Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706)
wp.org #1 2 
Weight Based Shipping for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.6★ (83)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
Advanced Free Shipping for WooCommerce 40K+ · 4.8★ (122)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
Shipping Live Rates for USPS for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (30)
wp.org #4 ↑5 1 too high 6 
morkva UA Shipping – Nova Poshta, Ukrposhta, Rozetka, Nova Global 1K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #5 ↑3 1 too high 7 
Table Rate Shipping for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (74)
wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too low 8 
Shipping Live Rates and Access Points for UPS for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.7★ (77)
wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9 Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071)
wp.org #24 15 too low 10 
Shipping Simulator for WooCommerce 6K+ · 5.0★ (40) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↑11 2 too high 11 
WebToffee WooCommerce PDF Invoices, Packing Slips, Delivery Notes & Shipping Labels 50K+ · 4.9★ (285) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↓2 8 too low 12 
WC Hide Shipping Methods 20K+ · 4.2★ (44)
wp.org #18 ↓3 6 too low 13 
Shipping Live Rates for FedEx for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.4★ (27)
wp.org #14 ↓2 1 too low 14 
No Shipping Message for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (19) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑2 3 too high 15 
Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too low 16 
Free Shipping Label and Progress Bar for WooCommerce 5K+ · 5.0★ (43) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↓9 1 too low 17 
Hide Shipping Method For WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↑4 5 too high 18 
USPS Simple Shipping for Woocommerce 8K+ · 4.4★ (28) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↑8 3 too high 19 
Custom Shipping Methods for WooCommerce – Create Weight based Shipping, Conditional Shipping, Table Rate Shipping and much more 3K+ · 4.8★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓2 3 too low 20 
WC – APG Weight Shipping 6K+ · 4.3★ (49) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↓2 21 
WooCommerce Tax (formerly WooCommerce Shipping & Tax) 500K+ · 2.0★ (105) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 8 too high 22 
WPC Free Shipping Bar for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.2★ (13) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 WooCommerce Shipping 70K+ · 2.0★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↓4 17 too high 24 
GLS Shipping for WooCommerce 2K+ · 3.7★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 3 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.