Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “reserve”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 6 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

Custom Add to Cart labels for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #11 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.9★ average from 14 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Booking System – Booking Calendar places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 344 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #1 2 Disable Media Pages 10K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #2 3 ShopLentor – All-in-One WooCommerce Growth & Store Enhancement Plugin 80K+ · 4.5★ (278) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 WP Time Slots Booking Form 1K+ · 5.0★ (41) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 SeatReg 300+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too high 7 Advanced Local Pickup for WooCommerce – Click & Collect, In-Store Pickup 3K+ · 4.7★ (55) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 WP Booking System – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (344) wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too low 9 Easy Booking – WooCommerce Booking & Reservation Plugin 4K+ · 4.7★ (63) wp.org #9 10 WP Inventory Manager 1K+ · 4.6★ (32) wp.org #7 3 too high 11 Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory 9K+ · 4.8★ (138) wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too low 12 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #12 13 Five Star Restaurant Reservations – WordPress Booking Plugin 10K+ · 4.7★ (211) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 SMTP for Amazon SES – YaySMTP 3K+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 Bus Ticket Booking with Seat Reservation 700+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Online Booking & Scheduling Calendar by vcita 1K+ · 3.9★ (117) wp.org #18 ↓2 2 too low 17 exovia GDPR Google Maps 4K+ · 4.6★ (11) wp.org #13 ↓2 4 too high 18 Five Star Business Profile and Schema 7K+ · 4.8★ (52) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 Custom Add to Cart labels for WooCommerce 5K+ · 3.9★ (14) wp.org #11 ↓2 8 too high 20 EU/UK VAT Validation Manager for WooCommerce 7K+ · 4.8★ (39) wp.org #24 ↓3 4 too low 21 Fast Etsy Listings 400+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too high 22 Five Star Restaurant Reviews 400+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #22 ↓3 23 Stachethemes Seat Planner Lite 80+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24 The Menu: Custom mobile navigation with icons 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓2 7 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.