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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “single variations”

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 “single variations”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

WPC Variations Table for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Additional Variation Images Gallery for WooCommerce places #10 on merit, 4.6★ from 162 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 Variations as Single Product – Display Single Variation for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 Choosly – Product Variations Swatches for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (76) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Smart Variations Images & Swatches for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (142) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Color, Image & Size Swatches 200K+ · 4.6★ (51) wp.org #6 ↓2 7 WPC Variations Radio Buttons for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.4★ (21) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too high 8 Product Gallery Slider, Additional Variation Images for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (160) wp.org #13 5 too low 9 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.7★ (55) wp.org #10 ↑5 1 too low 10 Additional Variation Images Gallery for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.6★ (162) wp.org #20 ↓7 10 too low 11 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.9★ (86) wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too low 12 Variation Images Gallery for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (39) wp.org #14 ↓2 2 too low 13 WPC Show Single Variations for WooCommerce 1K+ · 3.3★ (11) wp.org #3 ↓1 10 too high 14 Variation Price Display Range for WooCommerce 9K+ · 5.0★ (43) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #22 ↑2 7 too low 16 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 50K+ · 3.7★ (59) wp.org #15 ↑3 1 too high 17 Swatchly – Product Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.5★ (29) wp.org #21 ↓1 4 too low 18 Show Variations as Single Products for WooCommerce 400+ · 3.1★ (18) wp.org #9 9 too high 19 WPC Linked Variation for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 WCBoost – Variation Swatches 40K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #11 ↓1 9 too high 21 WPC Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.3★ (10) wp.org #16 ↓2 5 too high 22 Duplicate Variations for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 D Display Product Variations Dropdown on Shop Page 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 WPC Variations Table for WooCommerce 500+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #12 ↓1 12 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.