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

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 “festivals”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 4 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

Festival Snow Effect shows at wp.org #2 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 60+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create Loyalty Programs, Reward Customer Purchases, Referral Points, User Badges, and Gamification places #12 on merit, 4.5★ from 180 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #1 2 Tickera – Sell Tickets & Manage Events 2K+ · 4.5★ (292) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 The Events Calendar Shortcode & Block 10K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Maps Plugin using Google Maps for WordPress – WP Google Map 10K+ · 4.8★ (172) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too low 5 Event Countdown for The Events Calendar 3K+ · 4.6★ (48) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Timetable and Event Schedule by MotoPress 30K+ · 4.3★ (69) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 Ticket Tailor — Event Ticketing & Registration 4K+ · 4.3★ (46) wp.org #9 ↑4 2 too low 8 Foyer – Digital Signage for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 Event Single Page Builder For The Events Calendar 6K+ · 4.8★ (81) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Theater for WordPress 600+ · 4.9★ (25) wp.org #10 ↓2 11 Scratch & Win – Giveaways and Contests. Boost subscribers, traffic, repeat visits, referrals, sales and more 100+ · 4.7★ (30) wp.org #20 ↓3 9 too low 12 Points and Rewards for WooCommerce – Create Loyalty Programs, Reward Customer Purchases, Referral Points, User Badges, and Gamification 6K+ · 4.5★ (180) wp.org #23 ↓7 11 too low 13 Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner 1K+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #17 ↑3 4 too low 14 WidgetKit for Elementor – Lightweight Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 7K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 School Management System – WPSchoolPress 1K+ · 4.0★ (21) wp.org #15 ↑3 16 I Inspire Commerce Gateway for WooCommerce 10K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 ↑3 10 too high 17 Festival Snow Effect 60+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #2 15 too high 18 Musician’s Pack for Elementor – Music Website Widgets & Templates 400+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #18 ↑3 19 Dynamic Pricing and Discount Rules for WooCommerce 600+ · 4.0★ (13) wp.org #16 ↑3 3 too high 20 Setup Default Featured Image 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 8 too high 21 Boom Fest 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓4 2 too high 22 S Songkick Concerts and Festivals 500+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↓2 9 too high 23 Festival Banner 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too high 24 Auto Location for WP Job Manager 100+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↑1 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.