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

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 “reservations”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 Calendar places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 657 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. 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 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #4 ↓2 2 too low 3 Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155) wp.org #8 5 too low 4 Booking Calendar 40K+ · 4.8★ (657) wp.org #11 ↓4 7 too low 5 Alex Reservations – Restaurant Reservations, Tables & White-Label Booking System 200+ · 4.9★ (28) wp.org #5 ↓2 6 Bus Ticket Booking with Seat Reservation 700+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #7 ↑5 1 too low 7 Booking Activities 3K+ · 5.0★ (121) wp.org #14 ↑2 7 too low 8 WPCafe – Restaurant Menu, Online Food Ordering & Table Booking System 5K+ · 4.6★ (113) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 Vachr Short-Term Rental Reservations 30+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #3 6 too high 10 ReDi Restaurant Reservation – Instant Restaurant Booking & Table Reservation System 800+ · 4.5★ (28) wp.org #9 ↓3 1 too high 11 Salon Booking System – Appointment Booking for Salons, Barbershops & Spas 2K+ · 4.4★ (187) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too low 12 VikRestaurants Table Reservations and Take-Away 600+ · 4.8★ (10) wp.org #6 ↓3 6 too high 13 Easy Booking – WooCommerce Booking & Reservation Plugin 4K+ · 4.7★ (63) wp.org #10 ↓5 3 too high 14 Easy Appointment Booking & Scheduling Plugin – Webba Booking Calendar 2K+ · 4.9★ (157) wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too low 15 Pinpoint Booking System – Legacy version 2K+ · 3.6★ (185) wp.org #16 1 too low 16 WP Booking System – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (344) wp.org #21 ↓6 5 too low 17 Five Star Business Profile and Schema 7K+ · 4.8★ (52) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 VikBooking Hotel Booking Engine & PMS 8K+ · 4.8★ (61) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 Pay with Vipps and MobilePay for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.8★ (13) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Rox Appointment Booking – Event, Calendar & Appointment Scheduling 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #24 ↓13 4 too low 21 FareHarbor for WordPress 9K+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #23 ↓3 2 too low 22 Flavor – Restaurant Menu & Table Reservations 90+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too high 23 GemBooking – Appointment Booking, Booking Calendar & Reservations 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓12 5 too high 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.