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← Rankings

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

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 “closure”, 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

ITBoffins Live Opening Hours Banner & Table shows at wp.org #11 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

ShopEngine – All-in-One Elementor WooCommerce Builder with eCommerce Templates & Woo Widgets places #6 on merit, 4.6★ from 212 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Store Vacation Lite for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (189) wp.org #1 2 SupportCandy – AI Customer Support Ticket System & Live Chatbot Agent 10K+ · 4.9★ (289) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 We’re Open! 5K+ · 5.0★ (45) wp.org #2 ↑5 1 too high 4 Merge + Minify + Refresh 3K+ · 4.2★ (68) wp.org #4 ↓2 5 Easy Booking – WooCommerce Booking & Reservation Plugin 4K+ · 4.7★ (63) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 ShopEngine – All-in-One Elementor WooCommerce Builder with eCommerce Templates & Woo Widgets 100K+ · 4.6★ (212) wp.org #14 ↓2 8 too low 7 Popup Box – Easily Create WordPress Popups 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 Open Close Store for WooCommerce – Business Hours & Order Scheduling 600+ · 3.4★ (41) wp.org #8 9 Five Star Business Profile and Schema 7K+ · 4.8★ (52) wp.org #13 ↑5 4 too low 10 Availability Datepicker – Booking Calendar for Contact Form 7 – Input WP 10K+ · 4.1★ (42) wp.org #15 ↓2 5 too low 11 Advanced Local Pickup for WooCommerce – Click & Collect, In-Store Pickup 3K+ · 4.7★ (55) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too low 12 HashBar – Announcement, Notification Bar & Popup Campaign 9K+ · 4.2★ (38) wp.org #23 ↓4 11 too low 13 Holiday Mode for WooCommerce 700+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #5 ↓2 8 too high 14 Vachr Short-Term Rental Reservations 30+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 Additional Terms Lite for WooCommerce 2K+ · 3.6★ (16) wp.org #18 ↓2 3 too low 16 Order Limit for WooCommerce (Free Version) 800+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too low 17 Business Essentials for Contact Form 7 7K+ · 3.3★ (10) wp.org #9 ↑2 8 too high 18 Majestic Support – The Leading-Edge Help Desk & Customer Support Plugin 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 FormsCRM – Connect Forms to CRM directly 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 ↓1 7 too high 20 FoodOrd – Online Food Ordering & Table Reservation System 20+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Hagakure – Yet Another Error Reporter 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 ITBoffins Live Opening Hours Banner & Table 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓1 11 too high 23 Business Hours & Holiday Schedule Manager 100+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Caldera Forms Google Sheets Connector 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓3 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.