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

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 “recurrence”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Open Source Event Calendar shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Finale Lite – Sales Countdown Timer & Discount for WooCommerce places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 151 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #1 2 Responsive Pricing Table 10K+ · 4.6★ (91) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too low 3 Spiffy Calendar 2K+ · 4.9★ (38) wp.org #3 4 SupportCandy – AI Customer Support Ticket System & Live Chatbot Agent 10K+ · 4.9★ (289) wp.org #11 ↑1 7 too low 5 Show only lowest prices in variable products for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.8★ (28) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 Sugar Calendar – Events Calendar, Event Tickets, and Events Management Platform 10K+ · 4.5★ (24) wp.org #6 ↑1 7 EventPrime – Events Calendar, Bookings, Tickets & AI 7K+ · 4.4★ (85) wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too low 8 Finale Lite – Sales Countdown Timer & Discount for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.7★ (151) wp.org #17 ↑1 9 too low 9 Pie Calendar – Events Calendar Made Simple 1K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #9 10 Simple Google Calendar Outlook Events Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too high 11 seQura 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 9 too high 12 connectDaily Events Calendar Plugin 90+ · 4.4★ (17) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 Taskbuilder – Project Management & Task Management Tool With Kanban Board 700+ · 4.7★ (7) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 System Dashboard 900+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too low 15 DiveWP – Boost Site Performance with Clear, Actionable Steps 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #15 16 Cowboy MCP – Free MCP Server with Undo for Claude & ChatGPT 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Event Koi Lite – Events Calendar, Event Management, RSVP, and Tickets 70+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 Occupancy Plan 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 Venuera – Event Tickets for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 E Events Manager and WPML Compatibility 1K+ · 2.8★ (13) wp.org #10 10 too high 21 Blaminhor Essentials – SEO, Cache, Backup, SMTP, Redirects, Broken Links, Cookie Banner, Hide Login & More 90+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Radius Booking – Appointment Booking Calendar & Scheduling for Services & Events 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 23 Open Source Event Calendar 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 ↓1 11 too high 24 Freelance Studio Simple Event Calendar 30+ · 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.