wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “coaching”
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 “coaching”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
AllCoach – Coaching Management & Scheduling shows at wp.org #9 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 300+ 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
LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 393 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184)
wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
Wheel of Life: Coaching and Assessment Tool for Life Coach 2K+ · 4.9★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 too high 4 
Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #5 ↑4 6 
Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155)
wp.org #6 ↑6 7 
Kit (formerly ConvertKit) – Email Newsletter, Email Marketing, Membership, Subscribers and Landing Pages 40K+ · 4.8★ (90)
wp.org #7 8 LifterLMS – WP LMS for eLearning, Online Courses, & Quizzes 10K+ · 4.8★ (393)
wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too low 9 
Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590)
wp.org #11 ↓5 2 too low 10 
Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #8 ↑2 2 too high 11 
Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793)
wp.org #14 ↑2 3 too low 12 
Eventin – Events Calendar, Tickets, Registration, Booking & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (413)
wp.org #15 3 too low 13 
LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597)
wp.org #19 ↑1 6 too low 14 
Creator LMS – WordPress LMS Plugin for Coaches, Cohorts & Course Creators 100+ · 5.0★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓6 4 too high 15 
Timetics – Appointment Booking Calendar & Scheduling 2K+ · 4.6★ (36)
wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too high 16 
Appointment Booking Plugin – LatePoint | Calendar & Scheduling for WordPress 100K+ · 4.9★ (107)
wp.org #24 ↓1 8 too low 17 
Thank You Page for WooCommerce 10K+ · 5.0★ (43)
wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too low 18 
WP Time Slots Booking Form 1K+ · 5.0★ (41)
wp.org #18 ↑1 19 
Paytium: Mollie payment forms & donations 2K+ · 4.5★ (64)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Hydra Booking — Appointment Scheduling & Booking Calendar 2K+ · 4.4★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too high 21 
Booktics – Appointment Booking Calendar for Service Businesses 700+ · 4.2★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
Thim Kit for Elementor – Pre-built Templates & Widgets for Elementor 20K+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too high 23 AllCoach – Coaching Management & Scheduling 300+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 14 too high 24 
Cal.com 2K+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #21 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.