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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “time clock”

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 “time clock”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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

World Clocks shows at wp.org #13 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection places #9 on merit, 4.6★ from 3992 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Time Clock – A WordPress Employee & Volunteer Time Clock Plugin 500+ · 4.9★ (8) wp.org #1 2 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #5 ↑2 3 too low 3 WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Visitor Traffic Real Time Statistics 30K+ · 4.1★ (233) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 MX Time Zone Clocks 1K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 All in One Time Clock Lite – Tracking Employee Time Has Never Been Easier 500+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Countdown, Coming Soon, Maintenance – Countdown & Clock 10K+ · 4.7★ (183) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Kadence Security – Password, Two Factor Authentication, and Brute Force Protection 700K+ · 4.6★ (3992) wp.org #24 15 too low 10 Dynamic Time 200+ · 4.7★ (21) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Jetpack Protect 100K+ · 4.6★ (123) wp.org #16 5 too low 12 Live Chat by Formilla – Real-time Chat & Chatbots Plugin 2K+ · 4.8★ (116) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 Simple Digital Clock 🕒 500+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 too high 14 Countix Sales Countdown Timer 5K+ · 4.4★ (26) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 Clock In Portal- Staff & Attendance Management 200+ · 3.9★ (11) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 CoolClock 1K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 Countdown Timer Block – build urgency for events and launches 2K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 Product Time Countdown for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 Welcome Greetings based on Time 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 IP2Location World Clock 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 World Clocks 100+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 Time.now Clock Widget 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 Admin Toolbar Live Clock 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 Muslim Prayer Times 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 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.