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

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 “golf”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 3 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

Raffle for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #15 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

eCommerce Product Catalog places #4 on merit, 4.7★ from 270 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 SportsPress – Sports Club & League Manager 10K+ · 4.7★ (369) wp.org #1 2 JoomSport – for Sports: Team & League, Football, Hockey & more 1K+ · 4.9★ (44) wp.org #2 3 Easy Appointment Booking & Scheduling Plugin – Webba Booking Calendar 2K+ · 4.9★ (159) wp.org #3 4 eCommerce Product Catalog 7K+ · 4.7★ (270) wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too low 5 B bbp buddypress profile information 70+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Hydra Booking — Appointment Scheduling & Booking Calendar 2K+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 B bbp profile information 100+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 Achievements sports league 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 MyStyle Custom Product Designer 50+ · 3.9★ (13) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 AnWP Sports Leagues – Basketball, Ice Hockey, Handball, Rugby & More 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Golf Scores 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 7 too high 12 Golf Handicap & Slope 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 5 too high 13 Event RSVP and Simple Event Management Plugin 20+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #22 ↓1 9 too low 14 Funbutler Booking System 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↑1 5 too high 15 Solitaire Games: Klondike, FreeCell, Spider and Mahjong — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 NMR Strava activities 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Simple Golf Club 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↑1 18 ParOne Feeds 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 Gudjons Turneringer for Golfbox — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 20 Scoreboard UI 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 21 Teecontrol Course Data — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑3 22 Playard — Sports Facility Booking System for Courts, Fields, Pitches, Venues and More 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 NC Custom Product Bundles for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 Raffle for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.