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

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 “statuses”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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 #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 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

Customer Reviews for WooCommerce places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 1532 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (342) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Ivory Search – WordPress Search Plugin 90K+ · 4.9★ (1561) wp.org #8 5 too low 4 PublishPress Statuses – Custom Post Status and Workflow 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #1 3 too high 5 ShopMagic – email automation for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (78) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 PublishPress Permissions: Access Control, Content Permissions, User Access 10K+ · 4.3★ (66) wp.org #6 7 Customer Reviews for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (1532) wp.org #16 9 too low 8 Estatik Real Estate Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (186) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Advanced Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.5★ (353) wp.org #9 10 Scheduled & Automatic Order Status Controller for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.3★ (32) wp.org #3 8 too high 12 Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Order Export & Order Import for WooCommerce 60K+ · 4.7★ (336) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 WC Cancel Order 5K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 Order Tracking – WordPress Status Tracking Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (73) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Print Invoice & Delivery Notes for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.4★ (138) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Extended Post Status 1K+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 Invoice Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Edit Flow 4K+ · 4.2★ (50) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Broken Link Checker by AIOSEO – Find & Fix Broken Internal, External & Video Links 300K+ · 3.8★ (84) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 My WP Customize Admin/Frontend 8K+ · 4.3★ (16) wp.org #21 22 N Ni WooCommerce Custom Order Status 2K+ · 4.1★ (16) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Colored Admin Post List 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 Advanced Custom Order Status for WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 11 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.