wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “consultants”
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 “consultants”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
GS Coach – Professional Team Showcase for Coaches & Consultants shows at wp.org #14 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Slider by Soliloquy – Responsive Image Slider for WordPress places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 1025 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #1 2 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #2 3 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551)
wp.org #3 4 
Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Export All URLs 50K+ · 4.6★ (94)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Appointment Booking Plugin – LatePoint | Calendar & Scheduling for WordPress 100K+ · 4.9★ (107)
wp.org #5 2 too high 8 
Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155)
wp.org #8 ↑1 9 
Germanized for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.8★ (496)
wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too low 10 
Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #9 ↑5 1 too high 11 
Redirection for Contact Form 7 200K+ · 4.7★ (275)
wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 Slider by Soliloquy – Responsive Image Slider for WordPress 30K+ · 4.7★ (1025)
wp.org #16 4 too low 13 
Pricing Table by Supsystic – Responsive Pricing Plans & Comparison Tables 10K+ · 4.1★ (288)
wp.org #13 ↓1 14 
CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce 200K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #21 ↓4 7 too low 15 
Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504)
wp.org #22 ↓1 7 too low 16 
EMC – Embed Calendly Scheduling With Ease 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too high 17 
SureRank SEO – Meta Tags, Social Preview, XML Sitemap, Schema & Open Graph 300K+ · 4.8★ (51)
wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 
Team – Team Members Showcase Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (67)
wp.org #23 ↑1 5 too low 19 
Cookie Choices (for EU Cookie Law & GDPR) 9K+ · 4.5★ (35)
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 
Jetpack Search 5K+ · 4.5★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #15 5 too high 21 
Animated Floating Chat Button 4K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #18 3 too high 22 GS Coach – Professional Team Showcase for Coaches & Consultants 10+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too high 23 
Add LinkedIn Insight Tag for LinkedIn Ads 4K+ · 3.3★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 
Pixelavo – Server Side Tracking & Pixel + AI Ads Tools 2K+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews
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.