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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “event date”

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 “event date”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 9 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.

T

Ranked above its merit

Themify Event Post shows at wp.org #15 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 2K+ 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

Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia places #9 on merit, 4.6★ from 793 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #1 2 WP Event Manager – Events Calendar, Registrations, Sell Tickets with WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (249) wp.org #4 ↑2 2 too low 3 Event Genius – Event Calendar, Event Registration, and Attendee Management 600+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #2 ↑2 1 too high 4 Event Tickets and Registration 90K+ · 3.5★ (236) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 Eventin – Events Calendar, Tickets, Registration, Booking & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (413) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too low 7 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 EventPrime – Events Calendar, Bookings, Tickets & AI 7K+ · 4.4★ (85) wp.org #5 ↓2 5 too high 11 VS Event List 8K+ · 4.9★ (82) wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too low 12 Event Booking Manager for WooCommerce – Sell Tickets, Event Registration, RSVP & Event Calendar 7K+ · 4.5★ (167) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #22 ↓6 9 too low 14 Event Organiser 20K+ · 4.6★ (140) wp.org #11 ↑2 3 too high 15 The Events Calendar Shortcode & Block 10K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too low 16 Events Widgets For Elementor And The Events Calendar 10K+ · 4.5★ (108) wp.org #14 ↑3 2 too high 17 Event Single Page Builder For The Events Calendar 6K+ · 4.8★ (81) wp.org #16 ↑2 1 too high 18 Quick Event Manager 1K+ · 4.9★ (67) wp.org #18 19 Event Espresso – Event Registration & Ticketing Sales 500+ · 4.4★ (136) wp.org #24 ↓1 5 too low 20 Event Calendar Newsletter 600+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Sugar Calendar – Events Calendar, Event Tickets, and Events Management Platform 10K+ · 4.5★ (24) wp.org #20 ↓8 1 too high 22 EventON – Events Calendar 6K+ · 4.1★ (44) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 Event Post 1K+ · 4.3★ (35) wp.org #23 ↓9 24 T Themify Event Post 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 9 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.