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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “status”

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 “status”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Advanced Custom Order Status for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #12 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

bbPress places #7 on merit, 3.9★ from 342 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 Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117) wp.org #1 2 Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172) wp.org #2 3 Archive Content with Archived Post Status 5K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5011) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5 Scheduled & Automatic Order Status Controller for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #5 6 Extended Post Status 1K+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #6 7 bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (342) wp.org #20 ↓5 13 too low 8 Order Tracking – WordPress Status Tracking Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (73) wp.org #17 9 too low 9 Order Status Control for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #3 6 too high 10 Advanced Custom Stock Status 8K+ · 4.2★ (37) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11 WP-Cron Status Checker 5K+ · 3.5★ (8) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Show Stock Status for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (29) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 Post Status Notifier Lite 700+ · 3.9★ (17) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 N Ni WooCommerce Custom Order Status 2K+ · 4.1★ (16) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 Order Status History for WooCommerce 900+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #22 ↓1 7 too low 16 Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.3★ (32) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too high 17 Additional Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 StreamWeasels Online Status Bar 500+ · 4.2★ (11) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too high 19 Discontinued Product Stock Status for WooCommerce 500+ · 4.4★ (10) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 Pending Status 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 PublishPress Statuses – Custom Post Status and Workflow 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓1 22 Advanced Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↓1 10 too high 23 Display Stock Status For WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓1 24 Apache Status & Info 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.