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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “client intake”

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 “client intake”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20.

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

Clio Grow Form shows at wp.org #3 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Happyforms – Form Builder for WordPress: Drag & Drop Contact Forms, Surveys, Payments & Multipurpose Forms 20K+ · 4.4★ (433) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Appointment Booking Plugin – LatePoint | Calendar & Scheduling for WordPress 100K+ · 4.9★ (107) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (808) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1388) wp.org #7 ↑1 2 too low 6 Multi Page Auto Advance for Gravity Forms 2K+ · 4.3★ (20) wp.org #2 ↓1 4 too high 7 WPBot – AI ChatBot for Live Support, Lead Generation, WordPress Automation, AI Services 5K+ · 4.7★ (124) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 Timetics – Appointment Booking Calendar & Scheduling 2K+ · 4.6★ (36) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Boei – AI Chatbot, Live Chat & 50+ Channels 900+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #24 15 too low 10 WOW Styler for CF7 – Visual Styler for Contact Form 7 Forms 3K+ · 3.9★ (14) wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too low 11 File Uploads Addon for WooCommerce 4K+ · 3.7★ (27) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 WP Calorie Calculator 900+ · 4.7★ (12) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 too low 13 Booktics – Appointment Booking Calendar for Service Businesses 700+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 HelpGent – Video Funnels and Conversational Forms for WordPress 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15 WPZOOM Forms – Drag & Drop Contact Form Builder for WordPress 10K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 ↑1 5 too high 16 Clio Grow Form 1K+ · 2.3★ (3) wp.org #3 13 too high 17 Chatwoot Client Portal by ICT Shift 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 InForge – White Label Client Intake & Quote Form — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 Clio Grow Website Chat 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑3 3 too high 20 Portrait-Archiv Photostore – Sell Photos & Client Galleries 10+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Integration for Airtable – Import Airtable to WordPress & Submit Forms to Airtable 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too high 22 IntakeFlow Forms – Multi-Step Form Builder, File Upload & Client Intake — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 23 Quill Booking – Appointment Scheduling & Event Management Solution 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Signature Field With Contact Form 7 300+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓1 5 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.