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

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

Eventward shows at wp.org #7 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Photo Gallery by Supsystic – Image Gallery, Masonry, Albums & Lightbox places #7 on merit, 4.6★ from 498 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #1 2 My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) wp.org #2 3 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 EventPrime – Events Calendar, Bookings, Tickets & AI 7K+ · 4.4★ (85) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Event Organiser 20K+ · 4.6★ (140) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Event Genius – Event Calendar, Event Registration, and Attendee Management 600+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Photo Gallery by Supsystic – Image Gallery, Masonry, Albums & Lightbox 20K+ · 4.6★ (498) wp.org #16 ↑1 9 too low 8 Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too low 9 Events Widgets For Elementor And The Events Calendar 10K+ · 4.5★ (108) wp.org #9 ↑3 10 Sugar Calendar – Events Calendar, Event Tickets, and Events Management Platform 10K+ · 4.5★ (24) wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 Event Single Page Builder For The Events Calendar 6K+ · 4.8★ (81) wp.org #11 ↓2 12 Enable Abilities for MCP 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #10 ↓2 2 too high 13 Event Tickets and Registration 90K+ · 3.5★ (236) wp.org #13 ↓2 14 Events Shortcodes For The Events Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (214) wp.org #17 ↓3 3 too low 15 SportsPress – Sports Club & League Manager 10K+ · 4.7★ (369) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Event Booking Manager for WooCommerce – Sell Tickets, Event Registration, RSVP & Event Calendar 7K+ · 4.5★ (167) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #12 ↑3 5 too high 18 Ultimate Maps by Supsystic – OpenStreetMap, Leaflet & Mapbox, No API Key 10K+ · 4.6★ (86) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Event Tickets with Ticket Scanner 1K+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #20 21 Events Search & Filter Bar for The Events Calendar 3K+ · 4.8★ (29) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 Eventward 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 ↑3 15 too high 23 SeatReg 300+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Simple Location 300+ · 4.6★ (8) wp.org #21 3 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.