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

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 “churches”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 4 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

Zeffy Donate Button shows at wp.org #10 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 9 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

Listdom: AI-powered Business Directory with Classifieds Ads Listings places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 60 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Church Content – Sermons, Events and More 3K+ · 4.9★ (49) wp.org #1 2 Advanced Sermons 1K+ · 4.7★ (22) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #8 ↑1 5 too low 4 SeatReg 300+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 WP eCards – Branded Digital Greeting Cards 300+ · 4.4★ (26) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (221) wp.org #13 ↑2 7 too low 7 Automatic YouTube Gallery – Embed Auto-Updating YouTube Video Galleries, Feeds, Playlists & Channels 9K+ · 4.8★ (31) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 EventON – Events Calendar 6K+ · 4.1★ (44) wp.org #5 ↑2 3 too high 9 Tockify Events Calendar 2K+ · 4.5★ (20) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too high 10 Listdom: AI-powered Business Directory with Classifieds Ads Listings 1K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #19 ↓3 9 too low 11 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 Document Viewer – let visitors view files right in the browser 2K+ · 4.7★ (52) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 AidWP – Donation & Payment Forms (Stripe Powered) 800+ · 4.8★ (28) wp.org #15 ↓3 2 too low 14 Basic Google Maps Placemarks 2K+ · 4.4★ (51) wp.org #17 ↓4 3 too low 15 Super Advent Calendar 300+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 AI Alt Text Generator 2K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #14 ↓4 2 too high 17 Payment Forms for Paystack 2K+ · 3.8★ (9) wp.org #11 ↑3 6 too high 18 connectDaily Events Calendar Plugin 90+ · 4.4★ (17) wp.org #24 ↓4 6 too low 19 Zeffy Donate Button 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 ↓2 9 too high 20 Mission – Donation Plugin for WordPress – Fundraising & Recurring Donations 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 ↓5 3 too low 21 Donor Merchant – Donation Form with Recurring Donations, Stripe and PayPal 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↑7 5 too high 22 Vieww Events Calendar – Recurring Events, Event Map & Calendar 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too high 23 Church Social 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Ticket Spot – Event Tickets, RSVPs & Calendar 40+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓4 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.