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

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 “chef”, 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Obydullah Restaurant Core shows at wp.org #12 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WP Delicious – Recipe Plugin for Food Bloggers (formerly Delicious Recipes) 4K+ · 4.9★ (72) wp.org #1 2

Orderable – Restaurant & Food Ordering System 5K+ · 4.6★ (40) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3

TemplateSpare – 1000+ WordPress Starter Templates & Full Site Migration Tool | 1-Click Import/Export & No-Code Builder 10K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #3 4

Team Builder Member Showcase 1K+ · 3.8★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #2 2 too high 5

Restaurant & Cafe Addon for Elementor 1K+ · 4.8★ (6) thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6

CryptX 10K+ · 4.5★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #15 9 too low 7

Events Maker by dFactory 1K+ · 4.7★ (33) closure risk wp.org #20 13 too low 8

Business Card Block – present your team and contact info in style 1K+ · 4.3★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too high 9

Exact Match Disallowed Comment & Contact Forms 80+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too high 11

WPChef Employee Attendance Tracker 20+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #8 ↑2 3 too high 12

Recipe Master — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #9 3 too high 13

Tastoria Recipe Manager — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too high 14

YeeMenu – Restaurant Menu for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too high 15

DineKit – Restaurant Menu, Online Ordering, Table Reservations & POS 70+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #18 3 too low 16

Obydullah Restaurant Core — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #12 4 too high 17

PC User Address Manager for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #13 4 too high 18

Recipes Manager – PN — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #14 4 too high 19 T Text Filter Suite — · 4.5★ (2) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #23 4 too low 20

Best Selling Products For WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #17 3 too high 21 R Restaurant Manager — Online Food Ordering, Delivery & Pickup — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #19 2 too high 22

WP Mor Resto 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #22 23

Recipes 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #21 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.