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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “virtual pos”

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 “virtual pos”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Cecabank WooCommerce Plugin shows at wp.org #3 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

CURCY – Multi Currency for WooCommerce places #8 on merit, 4.3★ from 227 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 iPanorama 360 – Advanced Virtual Tour Builder 4K+ · 4.5★ (31) wp.org #1 2 BjornTech PayPal POS integration for WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Cryptocurrency Widgets Pack 600+ · 4.8★ (28) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Watu Quiz 3K+ · 4.7★ (137) wp.org #12 ↓1 8 too low 5 Virtual Classroom & Video Conferencing – BigBlueButton 400+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #5 6 Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner 1K+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Food Menu – Restaurant Menu & Online Ordering for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #16 ↓2 9 too low 8 CURCY – Multi Currency for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.3★ (227) wp.org #23 ↓2 15 too low 9 Mailonix – Email Template Customizer for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (105) wp.org #24 ↓2 15 too low 10 Order Delivery Date for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.3★ (61) wp.org #20 ↓2 10 too low 11 Cryptocurrency Payment Gateway for WordPress & WooCommerce by CryptoPay 70+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 AI ChatBot with ChatGPT and Content Generator by AYS 300+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #18 ↓2 6 too low 13 immonex Kickstart 300+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #13 14 B2B Invoice Payment Method for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 BORICA Payments by BORICA AD 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 13 too high 16 YITH WooCommerce Product Bundles 3K+ · 3.2★ (24) wp.org #14 ↓2 2 too high 17 Cecabank WooCommerce Plugin 3K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #3 14 too high 18 FormsCRM – Connect Forms to CRM directly 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 W Woven Sanal POS for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↑1 12 too high 20 Duitku Payment Gateway 700+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #8 ↓1 12 too high 21 SkipCash Payment Gateway 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓2 4 too high 22 Invum POS Entegratör – Sanal POS ve Taksitli Ödeme — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too high 23 plazox 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too high 24 Sanval Payments – Card Gateway for Payten/NestPay Banks 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↓2 2 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.