wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “smart cod”

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 “smart cod”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 3 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

PCOD – Partial COD, Payment Gateway Restrictions & Fees | for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #3 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.8★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

One Click Upsell Funnel for Woocommerce places #7 on merit, 4.5★ from 98 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Smart COD for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.6★ (52) wp.org #1 2

PiWeb Disable payment method / Partial payment for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (38) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #2 3

Icegram Engage – Popups, Optins, CTAs & Lead Generation 10K+ · 4.7★ (370) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #6 3 too low 4

SMS Alert – SMS & OTP for WooCommerce, Order Notifications & Abandoned Cart Recovery 3K+ · 4.6★ (35) wp.org #7 3 too low 5

PushEngage – Web Push Notifications, WooCommerce Automation & Chat Widget 9K+ · 4.2★ (34) wp.org #9 4 too low 6

Upsell Funnel Builder for WooCommerce – Create Upsells, Cross-Sells, Order Bumps, Frequently Bought, and Popups. 2K+ · 4.7★ (115) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #11 5 too low 7

One Click Upsell Funnel for Woocommerce 1K+ · 4.5★ (98) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 6 too low 8

Cost of Goods: Product Cost & Profit Calculator for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.7★ (41) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 8 too low 9

MarketKing — Ultimate WooCommerce Multivendor Marketplace Solution 700+ · 5.0★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓1 12 too low 10

Notiqoo – Order Notification & Customer Chat for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (19) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #14 4 too low 11

Simpler Checkout 30+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #5 6 too high 12

Customer Email Verification for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.4★ (19) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #15 3 too low 13

wModes – Catalog Mode, Product Pricing, Enquiry Forms & Promotions | for WooCommerce 900+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #8 5 too high 14

PCOD – Partial COD, Payment Gateway Restrictions & Fees | for WooCommerce 100+ · 2.8★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #3 11 too high 15

Tamara Checkout 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #4 11 too high 16

AfterSalesPro Plugin 400+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #17 1 too low 17

Duplicate Killer – Prevent Duplicate Form Submissions 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓1 6 too low 18

Smart Cash on Delivery Fraud Blocker & OTP Verification for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #10 8 too high 19

Shipped – Table Rate Shipping Method | for WooCommerce 300+ · 4.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓1 5 too low 20

Automation Web Platform – Notifications and OTP for WooCommerce, Advanced Country Code 400+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #18 2 too high 21

Codvia – COD Fee & Cash on Delivery Rules for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #20 1 too high 22

SR Partial Payments for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #12 10 too high 23

RevBoost Cash on Delivery Popup for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #19 4 too high 24

CODShield AI – Cash on Delivery (COD) Fraud Shield — · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews 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.