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

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 “reservation”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

SimplyBook.me – Booking and reservations calendar shows at wp.org #2 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 22 places. Its 30K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Booking Activities places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 121 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Five Star Restaurant Reservations – WordPress Booking Plugin 10K+ · 4.7★ (211) wp.org #1 ↑2 2 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #4 ↓3 2 too low 3 Bus Ticket Booking with Seat Reservation 700+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 Booking Calendar 40K+ · 4.8★ (657) wp.org #12 ↓3 8 too low 5 Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 ReDi Restaurant Reservation – Instant Restaurant Booking & Table Reservation System 800+ · 4.5★ (28) wp.org #5 ↓3 1 too high 7 Easy Booking – WooCommerce Booking & Reservation Plugin 4K+ · 4.7★ (63) wp.org #7 ↓2 8 Booking Activities 3K+ · 5.0★ (121) wp.org #18 ↑1 10 too low 9 Alex Reservations – Restaurant Reservations, Tables & White-Label Booking System 200+ · 4.9★ (28) wp.org #11 ↓3 2 too low 10 WPCafe – Restaurant Menu, Online Food Ordering & Table Booking System 5K+ · 4.6★ (113) wp.org #17 ↓2 7 too low 11 Salon Booking System – Appointment Booking for Salons, Barbershops & Spas 2K+ · 4.4★ (187) wp.org #13 ↑4 2 too low 12 Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 VikRestaurants Table Reservations and Take-Away 600+ · 4.8★ (10) wp.org #8 ↓2 5 too high 14 Easy Appointment Booking & Scheduling Plugin – Webba Booking Calendar 2K+ · 4.9★ (157) wp.org #20 ↑1 6 too low 15 Pinpoint Booking System – Legacy version 2K+ · 3.6★ (185) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 Vachr Short-Term Rental Reservations 30+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #6 10 too high 17 Court Reservation – Tennis, Padel & Sports Court Booking 90+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #9 ↓2 8 too high 18 Five Star Business Profile and Schema 7K+ · 4.8★ (52) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 Booking Package 10K+ · 4.0★ (15) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 Pay with Vipps and MobilePay for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.8★ (13) wp.org #23 ↓1 3 too low 21 Host Domination Booking Engine: Calendar Sync & Reservation System 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓5 22 BedBooking – Reservation System and Booking Calendar 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 ↓4 6 too high 23 Flavor – Restaurant Menu & Table Reservations 90+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 SimplyBook.me – Booking and reservations calendar 30K+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #2 22 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.