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

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 “operator”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 8 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

UltimaTour Operator shows at wp.org #4 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 40+ 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

Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 973 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software 20K+ · 4.9★ (594) wp.org #1 2 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #2 3 Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4 Yatra – Travel Booking & Tour Operator Software 600+ · 4.7★ (23) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5 P Page Links To 100K+ · 4.9★ (157) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6 Visibility Logic for Elementor 20K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 WP Travel – Ultimate Travel Booking System, Tour Management Engine 3K+ · 4.7★ (164) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973) wp.org #22 ↓6 14 too low 9 Travelly – Tour & Travel Booking Manager for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 WP Cassify 900+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #20 ↓1 10 too low 11 Cost Calculator for Contact Form 7 – Price Calculator Free 5K+ · 3.8★ (15) wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too high 12 Advanced Shipping Rates for WooCommerce: Flexible Table Rate Shipping Rules 2K+ · 4.9★ (49) wp.org #23 ↓2 11 too low 13 Conditional Fields for Elementor Form – Apply Conditional Logic 10K+ · 4.7★ (32) wp.org #19 ↓1 6 too low 14 OTP Login & Register Woocommerce 1K+ · 4.6★ (44) wp.org #21 ↓1 7 too low 15 Tour Operator 30+ · 3.8★ (6) wp.org #5 ↓1 10 too high 16 Admin Help Docs 600+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 Tripzzy – Travel Engine System 100+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #24 ↓2 7 too low 18 UltimaTour Operator 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 ↓1 14 too high 19 Chaport — Live Chat & Chatbots 2K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #12 ↓1 7 too high 20 BuddyPilot Withdrawal – Easy Returns for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too high 21 Cost Calculator for Elementor 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 ↓1 11 too high 22 AI to Elementor — HTML Importer for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 ↓2 5 too high 23 WP Travel Gutenberg Blocks 800+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 Skittybop 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 8 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.