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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “software licensing”

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 “software licensing”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 5 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

Premium Packages – Sell Digital Products Securely shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.8★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection places #8 on merit, 4.6★ from 3992 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 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #1 2 WP Webhooks – Automate repetitive tasks by creating powerful automation workflows directly within WordPress 20K+ · 4.7★ (55) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 StoreEngine — Complete eCommerce Solution with Memberships, Licensing, Affiliates & More 700+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 SureCart – Ecommerce Made Easy For Selling Physical Products, Digital Downloads, Subscriptions, Donations, & Payments 80K+ · 4.8★ (288) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 FluentCart A New Era of eCommerce – Faster, Lighter, and Simpler 9K+ · 4.5★ (46) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006) wp.org #13 7 too low 7 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992) wp.org #18 10 too low 9 Serial Numbers – Ultimate License Manager for Selling, Licensing & Securely Delivering Digital Content with WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (78) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 License Manager for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (147) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 HandyPlugins PaddlePress – Paddle Integration for WordPress 60+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #5 ↓1 6 too high 12 Digital License Manager 800+ · 4.7★ (30) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 AI Puffer – AI Chatbot & MCP Server for Claude and ChatGPT 10K+ · 4.6★ (166) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 Uncanny Automator – AI + Automation for WordPress | AI Agent, AI Page Builder, Free AI Usage Included 40K+ · 4.9★ (157) wp.org #19 ↑1 5 too low 15 Save as PDF Plugin by PDFCrowd 1K+ · 4.1★ (27) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 WP OAuth Server (OAuth Authentication) 3K+ · 3.8★ (41) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 Core Framework 10K+ · 5.0★ (41) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 Serial Codes Generator and Validator with WooCommerce Support 700+ · 4.6★ (13) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 CopySafe PDF Protection – Copy Protect PDF 300+ · 3.9★ (14) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 Premium Packages – Sell Digital Products Securely 2K+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #8 12 too high 21 Local Pickup for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 10 too high 22 Key Manager – Effortlessly sell license keys, game keys, pin codes, gift cards, and more with WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Verto Software Key Manager for WooCommerce 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Software License Lite for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 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.