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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “open hours”

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 “open hours”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

ITBoffins Live Opening Hours Banner & Table shows at wp.org #6 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 15 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

Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 392 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 We’re Open! 5K+ · 5.0★ (45) wp.org #1 2 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5018) wp.org #2 3 Appointment Hour Booking – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (523) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27819) wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too low 6 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – The Most Popular SMTP and Email Log Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (5203) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too low 7 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5218) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8669) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 Business Hours Indicator 8K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #5 4 too high 10 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7509) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too low 11 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4825) wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too high 12 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (392) wp.org #19 ↓3 7 too low 13 All-in-one Sticky Floating Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, and 50+ Social Icon Tabs – My Sticky Elements 40K+ · 4.9★ (542) wp.org #23 ↓1 10 too low 14 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #21 ↑2 7 too low 15 Open Close Store for WooCommerce – Business Hours & Order Scheduling 600+ · 3.4★ (41) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 too high 16 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1661) wp.org #22 ↓5 6 too low 17 Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (865) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too low 18 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (249) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Store Opening Closing Hours Manager 300+ · 4.0★ (5) wp.org #12 ↓1 7 too high 20 Store Hours for WooCommerce 2K+ · 2.8★ (30) wp.org #20 21 ITBoffins Live Opening Hours Banner & Table 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 15 too high 22 Open Accessibility 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 9 too high 23 Open Graphite 3K+ · 3.3★ (8) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 Open Source Event Calendar 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↑6 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.