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

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 “calendars”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 6 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

EventON – Events Calendar shows at wp.org #6 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.1★ average from 44 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 2144 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #1 2 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #2 3 My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) wp.org #3 4 Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793) wp.org #4 ↑1 5 Booking Calendar 40K+ · 4.8★ (657) wp.org #7 ↑2 2 too low 6 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too low 7 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 EventPrime – Events Calendar, Bookings, Tickets & AI 7K+ · 4.4★ (85) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too high 9 Simple Calendar – Google Calendar Plugin 50K+ · 3.8★ (397) wp.org #8 ↑4 1 too high 10 Appointment Hour Booking – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (524) wp.org #15 ↑5 5 too low 11 ICS Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (72) wp.org #14 ↓8 3 too low 12 Event Booking Manager for WooCommerce – Sell Tickets, Event Registration, RSVP & Event Calendar 7K+ · 4.5★ (167) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13 Eventin – Events Calendar, Tickets, Registration, Booking & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (413) wp.org #13 ↓2 14 EventON – Events Calendar 6K+ · 4.1★ (44) wp.org #6 ↑1 8 too high 15 Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155) wp.org #22 7 too low 16 Editorial Calendar 20K+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too low 17 Event Genius – Event Calendar, Event Registration, and Attendee Management 600+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #11 ↑8 6 too high 18 WP Event Manager – Events Calendar, Registrations, Sell Tickets with WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (249) wp.org #24 ↓2 6 too low 19 WP Booking System – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (344) wp.org #23 ↓2 4 too low 20 WP Simple Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.8★ (227) wp.org #21 ↓7 1 too low 21 Sugar Calendar – Events Calendar, Event Tickets, and Events Management Platform 10K+ · 4.5★ (24) wp.org #16 ↓6 5 too high 22 Styled Calendar – Customizable, Mobile Responsive Google Calendar Embeds 1K+ · 4.4★ (19) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 Private Google Calendars 1K+ · 4.8★ (23) wp.org #20 ↓4 3 too high 24 SimplyBook.me – Booking and reservations calendar 30K+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #17 7 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.