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

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 vat”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 10 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

VIESAC – Free VAT Validation for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 10+ 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

Cookie Compliance for WordPress – Cookie Consent, GDPR & CCPA places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 3025 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 EU/UK VAT Validation Manager for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.8★ (38) wp.org #1 2 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1658) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 European VAT Compliance Assistant for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1863) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 EU VAT Assistant for WooCommerce 5K+ · 5.0★ (37) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Wishlist for WooCommerce: Multiple Wishlists per Customer 2K+ · 4.9★ (53) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Customer Email Verification for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.8★ (47) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Cookie Compliance for WordPress – Cookie Consent, GDPR & CCPA 800K+ · 4.8★ (3025) wp.org #24 16 too low 9 WC – APG NIF/CIF/NIE Field 10K+ · 4.8★ (23) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 SureCart – Ecommerce Made Easy For Selling Physical Products, Digital Downloads, Subscriptions, Donations, & Payments 80K+ · 4.8★ (283) wp.org #23 ↓1 13 too low 11 Additional Custom Emails & Recipients for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 Min Max Step Quantity Limits Manager for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.9★ (51) wp.org #15 ↑2 3 too low 13 EAS EU compliance 200+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #6 7 too high 14 Payment forms, Buy now buttons, and Invoicing System | GetPaid 5K+ · 4.5★ (46) wp.org #21 7 too low 15 Cost of Goods: Product Cost & Profit Calculator for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.7★ (41) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 Maximum Products per User for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.6★ (42) wp.org #22 ↑1 6 too low 17 Product XML Feed Manager for WooCommerce – Google Shopping, Social Sites, Skroutz & More 1K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 Order Minimum/Maximum Amount Limits for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (40) wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too high 19 Payment Methods by Product & Country for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.2★ (18) wp.org #12 7 too high 20 Mollie Payments for WooCommerce 100K+ · 3.6★ (69) wp.org #20 21 Invoicing with InvoiceXpress for WooCommerce – Free 100+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #18 ↓2 3 too high 22 Tax Exemption for WooCommerce 700+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 VIESAC – Free VAT Validation for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 15 too high 24 Wonderful Payments – Pay by Bank and Open Banking for Woo (UK) 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓1 8 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.