Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “tether”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 3 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

TS Demo Importer shows at wp.org #3 but places #9 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 80+ 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

WPVR – 360 Panorama viewer and Virtual Tour Builder for WordPress places #3 on merit, 4.7★ from 133 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 MyCryptoCheckout – Bitcoin, Ethereum, and 100+ altcoins for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.3★ (49) wp.org #1 2 ABC Crypto Checkout 1K+ · 4.9★ (30) wp.org #2 3 WPVR – 360 Panorama viewer and Virtual Tour Builder for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #9 ↓1 6 too low 4 Knit Pay – Cashfree, Instamojo, Razorpay, PayPal and more 2K+ · 4.9★ (100) wp.org #10 6 too low 5 All Currencies for WooCommerce 900+ · 3.8★ (9) wp.org #5 6 OxaPay Crypto Payment Gateway: Accept Bitcoin Payments 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 WC Solana Pay 80+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Cryptocurrency Payment Gateway 400+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #8 ↑1 9 TS Demo Importer 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 6 too high 10 AURPAY Easy Digital Downloads (EDD) – Bitcoin Crypto Payment Gateway 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 AURPAY WooCommerce – Bitcoin/USDT Crypto Payment Gateway 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 ALFAcoins for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 13 AURPAY Paid Memberships Pro (PMP) – Bitcoin Crypto Payment Gateway 20+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Unuspay Crypto Payments for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 15 Aepto Domain Expiry, SSL, DNS & PHP Security — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too low 16 BucksBus 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 CryptoProcessing 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too high 18 Boxcoin 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓3 1 too low 19 ATLOS Crypto Payments for WooCommerce 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 Ivno Payment Gateway with Instant Approval 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 MyGate Crypto Payment Gateway — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 GrineoPay Crypto Gateway with Instant Payouts — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Heleket – Crypto Gateway for WooCommerce 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 Crypto QR Code WP 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑1 4 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.