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

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 “ussd”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 2 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

Flutterwave Payments shows at wp.org #12 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content places #3 on merit, 3.1★ from 938 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Paystack WooCommerce Payment Gateway 20K+ · 4.5★ (25) wp.org #1 2 Flutterwave WooCommerce 2K+ · 2.5★ (11) wp.org #2 3 ProfilePress – Paid Membership, Online Courses (LMS), Ecommerce, User Registration & Login Form, User Profile & Restrict Content 100K+ · 3.1★ (938) wp.org #10 ↓2 7 too low 4 Nomba Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Payment Gateway for MTN MoMo on WooCommerce 200+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 Easy Invoice – Invoice Generator, PDF Quotes & Payments 600+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7 Flutterwave Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 QR Code Payment with USSD Mobile Banking Payment 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 Give – Paystack Gateway 1K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Paystack Easy Digital Downloads Payment Gateway 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 6 too high 11 Finachub Mobile Money Checkout for WooCommerce (M-Pesa, Airtel, MTN) 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 too high 12 Squad Payment Gateway 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Interswitch Payment Gateway Woocommerce 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 SeerBit Payment Gateway plugin for WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 Payment Gateway for M-PESA Open API on WooCommerce 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 Fapshi for Give — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 2 too low 17 Bictorys Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 P Payment Forms for Monnify — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 Klasha Payment Gateway for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 Kwugwo for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Paystack Gateway for Sprout Invoices 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Flutterwave Payments 600+ · 3.5★ (2) wp.org #12 ↑1 10 too high 23 CoralPay Gateway For WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 24 S SimplyPaye Mobile Money Gateway — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓2

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.