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

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 “employee”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 2 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

Team Members Profile – Employee Directory & Staff Showcase shows at wp.org #7 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Custom Login Page Customizer places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 476 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Employee Spotlight – Team Member Showcase & Meet the Team Plugin 300+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #1 2 Employee Directory – Staff & Team Directory 100+ · 4.1★ (16) wp.org #2 3 Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793) wp.org #9 6 too low 4 ShiftController Employee Shift Scheduling 600+ · 4.4★ (22) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #6 7 WPO365 | SEAMLESS WORDPRESS + MICROSOFT INTEGRATION (WPO365 | LOGIN) 10K+ · 4.9★ (154) wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too low 8 B2BKing — Ultimate WooCommerce B2B and Wholesale Plugin — Wholesale Prices, Bulk Order Form & More 10K+ · 4.9★ (109) wp.org #12 ↑2 4 too low 9 Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (476) wp.org #17 ↓1 8 too low 10 ERP: Complete HR, Accounting & CRM Suite Built for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.4★ (149) wp.org #11 1 too low 11 Active Directory Integration / LDAP Integration 4K+ · 4.9★ (211) wp.org #18 ↑5 7 too low 12 Time Clock – A WordPress Employee & Volunteer Time Clock Plugin 500+ · 4.9★ (8) wp.org #4 8 too high 13 Employee, Leave and Recruitment Management System – Crew HRM 100+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 All in One Time Clock Lite – Tracking Employee Time Has Never Been Easier 500+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #5 9 too high 15 Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #16 ↑5 1 too low 16 Staff/Employee Business Directory for Active Directory 10+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #15 ↓3 1 too high 17 VikAppointments Services Booking Calendar 500+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 Personio Integration Light 200+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #21 ↓4 3 too low 19 Team Members Profile – Employee Directory & Staff Showcase 600+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #7 12 too high 20 Team Showcase – Responsive Team Members Grid, Slider & Carousel Plugin 2K+ · 3.4★ (24) wp.org #22 ↓4 2 too low 21 Easy restaurant menu manager 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #20 ↓5 1 too high 22 Base (formerly BaseLinker) – 300+ marketplaces, 150+ carriers & PIM & OMS & WMS in one 5K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Shop Manager for WooCommerce – AI-Powered Frontend Dashboard & Smart Order, Product & Employee Management 40+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 24 Employee Verification & Document Authentication 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 ↓4 10 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.