wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “users rate”
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 “users rate”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Extra Shipping Rates for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 5209 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #1 2 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Export and Import Users and Customers 50K+ · 4.8★ (442)
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
Table Rate Shipping for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (74)
wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too high 6 
kk Star Ratings – Rate Post & Collect User Feedbacks 70K+ · 3.9★ (171)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too low 8 
Flat Rate Shipping Method for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.2★ (76)
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #15 6 too low 10 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #10 11 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #16 5 too low 12 
Shipping Live Rates for USPS for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (30)
wp.org #9 3 too high 13 
WowShipping – Table Rate & Weight Based Shipping 700+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #11 2 too high 14 
User Profile Picture 40K+ · 4.6★ (59)
wp.org #14 15 
RegistrationMagic – Custom Registration Forms, User Registration, Payment, and User Login 7K+ · 4.5★ (459)
wp.org #24 9 too low 16 
Shipping Live Rates and Access Points for UPS for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.7★ (77)
wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too low 17 
Advanced Shipping Rates for WooCommerce: Flexible Table Rate Shipping Rules 2K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
WooCommerce PayPal Payments 800K+ · 2.9★ (583)
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 
Shipping Live Rates for FedEx for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.4★ (27)
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Extra Shipping Rates for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #8 12 too high 21 
Table rate shipping for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.5★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
Shipping Rate By Cities 600+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑1 10 too high 23 
Shipped – Table Rate Shipping Method | for WooCommerce 300+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #17 6 too high 24 
Mass Email To Users 800+ · 3.1★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #21 3 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.