Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “gym”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 6 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

Inspiro Starter Sites – 20+ Free Demo Templates for Gutenberg & Elementor shows at wp.org #9 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 10K+ 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

Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly places #6 on merit, 4.4★ from 586 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 Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too low 2 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #2 3 Gym Builder – Class Timetable & Booking for Gyms, Fitness & Yoga Studios 100+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #13 7 too low 7 Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #6 ↑4 1 too high 8 Timetable and Event Schedule by MotoPress 30K+ · 4.3★ (69) wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too low 9 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 Kali Forms — Contact Form & Drag-and-Drop Builder 10K+ · 4.8★ (89) wp.org #14 ↑2 4 too low 11 SKT Templates – 100% Free Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 Subscriptions for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (180) wp.org #19 ↑1 7 too low 13 Gym Studio Membership Management 70+ · 3.9★ (15) wp.org #10 ↓3 3 too high 14 Flexible PDF Coupons – Gift Cards & Vouchers for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 Tockify Events Calendar 2K+ · 4.5★ (20) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 Responsive Starter Templates – Elementor Templates & Starter Sites 10K+ · 4.5★ (39) wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too low 17 WPS Bookings for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.5★ (43) wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too low 18 Layouts for WPBakery 3K+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too high 19 MZ Mindbody API 100+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too high 20 Layouts for Divi 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too high 21 Hydra Booking — Appointment Scheduling & Booking Calendar 2K+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #21 22 Appointment Booking Plugin for WooCommerce | Online Booking Calendar & Service Manager 200+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 YITH WooCommerce Subscription 6K+ · 3.0★ (46) wp.org #22 ↑2 1 too high 24 Inspiro Starter Sites – 20+ Free Demo Templates for Gutenberg & Elementor 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 15 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.