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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “test order”

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 “test order”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

Diluted Test Order for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #1 2 Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #10 7 too low 4 Yoast Test Helper 50K+ · 4.9★ (12) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Split Test For Elementor 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470) wp.org #16 ↓1 10 too low 7 OneClick Chat to Order 30K+ · 4.8★ (84) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 Order Tracking – WordPress Status Tracking Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (73) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Autocomplete WooCommerce Orders 30K+ · 4.6★ (137) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #24 13 too low 12 WC Order Test 6K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 Nelio A/B Testing – AB Tests and Heatmaps for Better Conversion Optimization 4K+ · 4.8★ (99) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 Sequential Order Numbers for WooCommerce 10K+ · 3.8★ (29) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 PiWeb Cancel order / Refund request for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (39) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 Bulk Order Form for WooCommerce 800+ · 4.6★ (19) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 WP All Export – Order Export for WooCommerce 3K+ · 3.9★ (8) wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too high 19 WebToffee EU Order Withdrawal Button for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 New Order Notification for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.4★ (14) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 YITH WooCommerce Order & Shipment Tracking 7K+ · 3.7★ (15) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 Order Splitter for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too high 23 BD Courier Order Ratio Checker 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 Diluted Test Order for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 13 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.