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

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 “spa”, 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

Clever Fox shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 30K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Appointment Booking Plugin – LatePoint | Calendar & Scheduling for WordPress places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 107 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Salon Booking System – Appointment Booking for Salons, Barbershops & Spas 2K+ · 4.4★ (187) wp.org #1 2 Stylish Price List – Price Table Builder & QR Code Restaurant Menu 3K+ · 4.7★ (117) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 AjaxPress – SPA & Ajax Navigation with Persistent Audio Player for Radio 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #10 ↑1 6 too low 5 Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too low 7 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 SKT Templates – 100% Free Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 Lucky Orange 2K+ · 4.3★ (24) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Easy Appointment Booking & Scheduling Plugin – Webba Booking Calendar 2K+ · 4.9★ (159) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11 ThumbPress – Compress Images, Manage Thumbnails, Detect Image Issues, WebP/AVIF, Lazy Loading, Hotlinking & More 20K+ · 3.7★ (117) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too low 12 Appointment Booking Plugin – LatePoint | Calendar & Scheduling for WordPress 100K+ · 4.9★ (107) wp.org #20 ↑3 8 too low 13 Gift Cards (Gift Vouchers and Packages) (WooCommerce Supported) 1K+ · 4.7★ (115) wp.org #19 6 too low 14 WPS Bookings for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.5★ (43) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 Responsive Starter Templates – Elementor Templates & Starter Sites 10K+ · 4.5★ (39) wp.org #16 ↑2 1 too low 16 VikAppointments Services Booking Calendar 500+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #18 ↑2 2 too low 17 Layouts for WPBakery 3K+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too high 18 Layouts for Elementor 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #23 ↑1 5 too low 19 Layouts for Divi 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too high 20 Appointment Booking Plugin for WooCommerce | Online Booking Calendar & Service Manager 200+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Clever Fox 30K+ · 3.0★ (5) wp.org #8 13 too high 22 Coming Soon Maintenance Mode 6K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #22 23 Ajax loader + Cache 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #17 6 too high 24 GemBooking – Appointment Booking, Booking Calendar & Reservations 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓10

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.