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

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

Stripe Tax – Sales tax automation for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 30K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

B2BKing — Ultimate WooCommerce B2B and Wholesale Plugin — Wholesale Prices, Bulk Order Form & More places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 109 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #1 2

Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce 100K+ · 5.0★ (350) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3

Side Cart Woocommerce | Woocommerce Cart 70K+ · 4.9★ (453) wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too low 4

Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) heavy footprint wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too low 5

Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496) wp.org #13 ↓1 8 too low 6

Sliced Invoices – WordPress Invoice Plugin 4K+ · 4.6★ (117) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7

European VAT Compliance Assistant for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8

TaxJar – Sales Tax Automation for WooCommerce 5K+ · 2.6★ (28) low rating, top placement wp.org #3 ↓1 5 too high 9

Ecwid by Lightspeed Ecommerce Shopping Cart 20K+ · 4.5★ (228) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #11 2 too low 10

WooCommerce Tax (formerly WooCommerce Shipping & Tax) 500K+ · 2.0★ (105) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement wp.org #2 ↑2 8 too high 11

Payment Gateway Based Fees and Discounts for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (58) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too high 12

B2BKing — Ultimate WooCommerce B2B and Wholesale Plugin — Wholesale Prices, Bulk Order Form & More 10K+ · 4.9★ (109) wp.org #22 10 too low 13

Payment forms, Buy now buttons, and Invoicing System | GetPaid 5K+ · 4.5★ (46) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14

CP Contact Form with PayPal 800+ · 3.8★ (65) wp.org #15 1 too low 15

MotoPress Hotel Booking 10K+ · 3.7★ (65) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↓2 5 too high 16

Easyship WooCommerce Shipping Rates 2K+ · 4.2★ (54) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #14 2 too high 17

Pinpoint Booking System – Legacy version 2K+ · 3.6★ (185) wp.org #23 6 too low 18

Gift Wrapper for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (52) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #19 1 too low 19

Booking Package 10K+ · 4.0★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #17 2 too high 20

Quaderno: Global Tax & Invoicing Automation for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.7★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓2 4 too low 21

Contasimple 200+ · 4.0★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #20 1 too high 22

GetPaid Stripe Payments 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #21 1 too high 23

Accounting for WooCommerce 500+ · 3.7★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #16 7 too high 24

Stripe Tax – Sales tax automation for WooCommerce 30K+ · 2.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews 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.