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

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 “slots”, 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

Time Slot – Booking and Appointment System shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly places #11 on merit, 4.4★ from 586 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 WP Time Slots Booking Form 1K+ · 5.0★ (41) wp.org #1 2 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #2 3 Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155) wp.org #5 6 Booking Calendar 40K+ · 4.8★ (657) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 Appointment Hour Booking – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (524) wp.org #12 ↑2 5 too low 8 Appointment Booking Plugin – LatePoint | Calendar & Scheduling for WordPress 100K+ · 4.9★ (107) wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9 Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #6 ↑3 3 too high 10 AMP for WP – Accelerated Mobile Pages 70K+ · 4.4★ (1319) wp.org #15 ↓2 5 too low 11 Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too low 12 Appointment Booking Calendar 1K+ · 4.2★ (92) wp.org #14 ↓2 2 too low 13 EMC – Embed Calendly Scheduling With Ease 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Weight Based Shipping for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.6★ (83) wp.org #22 ↓4 8 too low 15 Orderable – Restaurant & Food Ordering System 5K+ · 4.6★ (40) wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 Order Delivery Date And Time 1K+ · 4.6★ (19) wp.org #10 ↓2 6 too high 17 Booking Package 10K+ · 4.0★ (15) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 Availability Datepicker – Booking Calendar for Contact Form 7 – Input WP 10K+ · 4.1★ (42) wp.org #23 ↓3 5 too low 19 Timetics – Appointment Booking Calendar & Scheduling 2K+ · 4.6★ (36) wp.org #24 ↓2 5 too low 20 Time Slot – Booking and Appointment System 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 ↓1 12 too high 21 Order Delivery Date for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.3★ (61) wp.org #18 ↓3 3 too high 22 WPS Bookings for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.5★ (43) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Rox Appointment Booking – Event, Calendar & Appointment Scheduling 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too high 24 Booking Slots For Elementor Forms 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 5 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.