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

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 classes”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

WooCommerce Shipping shows at wp.org #4 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 15 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

PI Advanced Flat rate / Conditional shipping for WooCommerce places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 58 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 wp.org
1 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 3 Table Rate Shipping for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (74) wp.org #3 4 Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 WC – APG Weight Shipping 6K+ · 4.3★ (49) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 WC Hide Shipping Methods 20K+ · 4.2★ (44) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too low 7 Free Shipping Label and Progress Bar for WooCommerce 5K+ · 5.0★ (43) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Hide Shipping Method For WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (25) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Custom Shipping Methods for WooCommerce – Create Weight based Shipping, Conditional Shipping, Table Rate Shipping and much more 3K+ · 4.8★ (18) wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too low 10 PI Advanced Flat rate / Conditional shipping for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.9★ (58) wp.org #24 ↓1 14 too low 11 Shipping Packages for WooCommerce – Dropship from multiple locations like AliExpress, eBay, Amazon, Etsy 900+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 WowShipping – Table Rate & Weight Based Shipping 700+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #22 10 too low 13 WC – APG Free Shipping 1K+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #13 14 Colissimo shipping methods for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.7★ (28) wp.org #16 ↓8 2 too low 15 Freight Shipping Quote – Simplify Shipping Cost Requests 300+ · 4.7★ (16) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 Extra Shipping Rates for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 ↑2 8 too high 17 WPSSO Schema Shipping Delivery Time for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 WooCommerce Tax (formerly WooCommerce Shipping & Tax) 500K+ · 2.0★ (105) wp.org #12 ↑4 6 too high 19 WooCommerce Shipping 70K+ · 2.0★ (18) wp.org #4 15 too high 20 Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce: Restrict Shipping Options by Anything 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 ELEX Hide WooCommerce Shipping Methods 1K+ · 3.1★ (8) wp.org #23 ↓1 2 too low 22 Posti Shipping 1K+ · 3.0★ (4) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 Shipped – Table Rate Shipping Method | for WooCommerce 300+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 bpost-shipping-platform 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 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.