wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “tip box”
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 “tip box”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 5 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
Order Tip & Donations for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #3 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 21 places. Its 300+ 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
Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 474 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Popup Box – Create Countdown, Coupon, Video, Contact Form Popups 50K+ · 4.6★ (82)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Order Tip for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.3★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 
Simple Ajax Chat – Add a Fast, Secure Chat Box 2K+ · 4.9★ (215)
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 
WP ULike – Like Buttons, Voting & Engagement Analytics 60K+ · 4.8★ (283)
wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 
Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154)
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #14 ↑5 5 too low 10 
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #17 ↓1 7 too low 11 
Affiliate Program Suite — SliceWP Affiliates 10K+ · 4.9★ (111)
wp.org #15 ↑3 4 too low 12 Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474)
wp.org #21 ↑2 9 too low 13 
WP Chat App 100K+ · 4.9★ (222)
wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14 
Divi Torque Lite 50K+ · 4.7★ (116) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 3 too high 15 
Wallet for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (188) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too high 16 
Cookiebot – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for GDPR, CCPA & Google Consent Mode 100K+ · 4.4★ (440)
wp.org #23 ↓3 7 too low 17 
PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281)
wp.org #19 ↑5 2 too low 18 
Broken Link Checker 500K+ · 3.8★ (605) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 6 too high 19 
Real-Time Find and Replace 70K+ · 4.5★ (82)
wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too low 20 
CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce 200K+ · 4.8★ (517) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
Tip Jar WP 200+ · 3.3★ (7) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #4 17 too high 22 
ShareThis Dashboard for Google Analytics 80K+ · 3.6★ (138) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too high 23 
Weblizar Pin It Button On Image Hover And Post 10K+ · 4.0★ (64)
wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Order Tip & Donations for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #3 21 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.