wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “payment schedule”
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 “payment schedule”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 5 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
Sezzle Woocommerce Payment shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ 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 #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 1387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155)
wp.org #1 2 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591)
wp.org #4 5 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #5 6 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1387)
wp.org #14 7 too low 8 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #15 7 too low 9 
Deposits & Partial Payments for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (111) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793)
wp.org #17 7 too low 11 
Paymattic – Secure, Simple Payment & Donation with Subscription Payments, Recurring Donations, Customer Management 3K+ · 4.8★ (44)
wp.org #9 2 too high 12 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #18 6 too low 13 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 3 too low 14 
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #13 1 too high 15 
First payment date for WooCommerce Subscriptions 400+ · 4.7★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #7 8 too high 16 
Better Payment – Instant Payments, Donations, Fundraising with Subscriptions & More 5K+ · 4.6★ (14) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #6 10 too high 17 
WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Subscriptions for WooCommerce with Stripe Recurring Payments 1K+ · 4.9★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 6 too high 19 
Event Booking Manager for WooCommerce – Sell Tickets, Event Registration, RSVP & Event Calendar 7K+ · 4.5★ (167) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 
Advanced Partial Payment or Deposit for WooCommerce 200+ · 4.6★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
Booking Package 10K+ · 4.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #20 1 too high 22 
Payment Gateway for PayPal Pro, PayPal Checkout & Subscriptions for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.1★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #19 3 too high 23 Sezzle Woocommerce Payment 1K+ · 4.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #11 12 too high 24 
FunnelKit Payment Gateway with PayPal for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
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.