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

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 “clinic”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 3 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

DocBooker – Doctor Appointment Booking for Clinics & Hospitals shows at wp.org #12 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 80+ 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.

Buried gem

SAML Single Sign On – SSO Login places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 402 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #1 2 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 Appointment Booking Plugin – LatePoint | Calendar & Scheduling for WordPress 100K+ · 4.9★ (106) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 KiviCare – Clinic & Patient Management System (EHR) 1K+ · 3.6★ (23) wp.org #2 ↓1 4 too high 7 Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #7 8 Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #18 ↓2 10 too low 9 SAML Single Sign On – SSO Login 10K+ · 4.9★ (402) wp.org #22 ↓4 13 too low 10 Agile Store Locator 10K+ · 4.9★ (59) wp.org #14 ↓3 4 too low 11 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too high 12 Mega Addons For WPBakery Page Builder 20K+ · 4.2★ (57) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 Booking Package 10K+ · 4.0★ (15) wp.org #9 ↑3 4 too high 14 Booktics – Appointment Booking Calendar for Service Businesses 800+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #8 ↓2 6 too high 15 Local Business Schema Lite 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too high 16 ResponsiveVoice Text To Speech 7K+ · 3.9★ (34) wp.org #24 ↓5 8 too low 17 Creavi Appointment Booking Calendar 90+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 Date Picker For Contact Form 7 4K+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 Business Card Block – present your team and contact info in style 1K+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #16 ↓3 3 too high 20 BMI Adult & Kid Calculator 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 5 too high 21 Advanced Datepicker – Restrict Date for Elementor Forms 900+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 ↓5 1 too high 22 DocBooker – Doctor Appointment Booking for Clinics & Hospitals 80+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓2 10 too high 23 Doctor Appointment Booking & Clinic Management – Alnora — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓5 4 too high 24 Bookingor – Booking System and Appointment Booking Calendar, Meeting Scheduling & WooCommerce 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓6 1 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.