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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “shipping by zipcode”

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 by zipcode”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 8 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

ReachShip WooCommerce Multi-Carrier & Conditional Shipping shows at wp.org #7 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 300+ 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

WCFM – Frontend Manager for WooCommerce places #3 on merit, 4.5★ from 286 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 Advanced Free Shipping for WooCommerce 40K+ · 4.8★ (122) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Discount Rules for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1395) wp.org #8 ↓1 6 too low 3 WCFM – Frontend Manager for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.5★ (286) wp.org #18 15 too low 4 WooCommerce Tax (formerly WooCommerce Shipping & Tax) 500K+ · 2.0★ (105) wp.org #2 ↑1 2 too high 5 WCFM Marketplace – Multivendor Marketplace for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (449) wp.org #15 10 too low 6 Shipping Rate By Cities 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #3 ↓2 3 too high 7 Advanced Shipping Validation for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 Mojito Shipping 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #5 ↑4 3 too high 9 Extra Fees for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.3★ (42) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Sendle Shipping Plugin 700+ · 3.2★ (9) wp.org #6 ↓1 4 too high 11 iNext Woo Pincode Checker 600+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Shipping Rate By Zipcodes 60+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #4 8 too high 13 DEPRECATED – Shipmondo – A complete shipping solution for WooCommerce 4K+ · 3.0★ (8) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 WSW – Shopify WooCommerce / WordPress Integration and Migration 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 3 too high 15 CDI – Collect and Deliver Interface for Woocommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 Fortnox for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 ReachShip WooCommerce Multi-Carrier & Conditional Shipping 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↓1 10 too high 18 Easy Shipping Rate for WooCommerce 20+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 R+L Carriers Shipping Rates for WooCommerce 90+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 Custom Location Restrictor for WooCommerce 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Svea Checkout for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 MageComp Pincode Checker 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Pincode based product price 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too high 24 Small Package Quotes – Worldwide Express Edition 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.