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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “uk postcode”

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 “uk postcode”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Check Pincode For WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

PI Advanced Flat rate / Conditional shipping for WooCommerce places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 58 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 UK Address Postcode Validation 700+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 WP EasyCart: Shopping Cart and eCommerce Store 3K+ · 4.5★ (206) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 European VAT Compliance Assistant for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Fetchify 600+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 PI Advanced Flat rate / Conditional shipping for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.9★ (58) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 Postcodes4U Address Finder 300+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 PiWeb Disable payment method / Partial payment for WooCommerce 4K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Autocomplete Location Field for Contact Form 7 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Flat Rate Shipping Method for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.2★ (76) wp.org #10 11 Houzez Property Feed 1K+ · 4.7★ (11) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 Extra Fees for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.3★ (42) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 Invoicing with InvoiceXpress for WooCommerce – Free 100+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 Locatoraid Store Locator 1K+ · 4.5★ (17) wp.org #15 1 too low 15 Check Pincode For WooCommerce 300+ · 4.4★ (5) wp.org #8 7 too high 16 Shipment Tracking for WooCommerce – Trackora 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 6 too low 17 AutoPostcode 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 DineKit – Restaurant Menu, Online Ordering, Table Reservations & POS 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 UK Address Autocomplete & Postcode Lookup for Forms & WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 20 SnapAddress 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 21 Postcode Redirect 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 VIESAC – Free VAT Validation for WooCommerce 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 MatrixMap – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Store Locator & World Maps 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Donor Merchant – Donation Form with Recurring Donations, Stripe and PayPal 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.