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

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 “medicals”, 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 #3 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 17 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

Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 1387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Appointment Hour Booking – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (524) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 SKT Templates – 100% Free Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Team – Team Members Showcase Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (67) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #10 ↓2 6 too low 5 Twenty20 Image Before-After 20K+ · 4.0★ (54) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Happyforms – Form Builder for WordPress: Drag & Drop Contact Forms, Surveys, Payments & Multipurpose Forms 20K+ · 4.4★ (433) wp.org #14 8 too low 7 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #17 10 too low 8 Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1387) wp.org #21 ↓1 13 too low 9 Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #8 ↑2 1 too high 10 Cost Calculator Builder 20K+ · 4.5★ (393) wp.org #19 9 too low 11 Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #20 ↓1 9 too low 12 Responsive Team Members Showcase, Team Grid, Team Slider, and Staff List – Smart Team (formerly WP Team) 5K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too high 14 Einsatzverwaltung 1K+ · 4.9★ (17) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 Contact List – Online Staff Directory & Address Book 1K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 Medical Before After Gallery 30+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #7 9 too high 17 WP Time Slots Booking Form 1K+ · 5.0★ (41) wp.org #24 ↓1 7 too low 18 Marijuana Age Verify 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #9 9 too high 19 KiviCare – Clinic & Patient Management System (EHR) 1K+ · 3.6★ (23) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Inspiro Starter Sites – 20+ Free Demo Templates for Gutenberg & Elementor 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 17 too high 21 News Element Elementor Blog Magazine 400+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 Medical Addon for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 ↓1 17 too high 23 WProofreader spell & grammar check plugin for WordPress 4K+ · 3.7★ (15) wp.org #23 ↓1 24 Mox Icons – Icon Pack for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.