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

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 “outlook”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 2 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

miniOrange Embed Outlook Teams Calendar Events shows at wp.org #5 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 300+ 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

WP Event Aggregator: Import Eventbrite events, Meetup events, social events and any iCal Events into Event Calendar places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 54 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 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – The Most Popular SMTP and Email Log Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (5200) wp.org #1 2 Easy WP SMTP – WordPress SMTP and Email Logs: Gmail SMTP, Office 365, Outlook, Custom SMTP, and more 500K+ · 4.6★ (707) wp.org #2 3 FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 600K+ · 4.8★ (406) wp.org #3 4 Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (525) wp.org #4 5 WP Mail Logging 300K+ · 4.7★ (369) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 Check & Log Email – Easy Email Testing & Mail logging 100K+ · 4.8★ (290) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 SureMail – SMTP and Email Logs Plugin with Amazon SES, Postmark, and Other Providers 200K+ · 4.7★ (25) wp.org #7 8 YaySMTP – WP Mail SMTP with Email Logs, Tracking & Reports 10K+ · 4.9★ (45) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Eventin – Event Calendar, Tickets, Registration, Booking & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (400) wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 Simple Google Calendar Outlook Events Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #6 ↓1 4 too high 11 WP Event Aggregator: Import Eventbrite events, Meetup events, social events and any iCal Events into Event Calendar 1K+ · 4.6★ (54) wp.org #21 10 too low 12 Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 Appointment Bookings for Zoom GoogleMeet and more – Wappointment 1K+ · 4.7★ (50) wp.org #23 ↓1 10 too low 14 Sugar Calendar – Events Calendar, Event Tickets, and Events Management Platform 10K+ · 4.5★ (24) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 Meow Mailer – Free SMTP, Everything Included 800+ · 4.9★ (17) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 Add to Calendar Button 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #16 17 Online Booking & Scheduling Calendar by vcita 1K+ · 3.9★ (117) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 Koalendar – Easy Appointment Scheduling & Booking Plugin 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 GoSMTP – SMTP for WordPress 500K+ · 4.3★ (10) wp.org #8 11 too high 20 Hydrogen Calendar Embeds 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) wp.org #12 ↑1 8 too high 21 All-in-One Microsoft 365 & Entra ID / Azure AD SSO Login 600+ · 3.9★ (7) wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too high 22 Bit SMTP – Easy SMTP Solution with Email Logs 2K+ · 3.9★ (15) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 miniOrange Embed Outlook Teams Calendar Events 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 ↑1 18 too high 24 DixonSMTP for Outlook & Microsoft 365 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24

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.