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

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 “wedding”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Timeline Module for Divi shows at wp.org #11 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 1596 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Photo Gallery by Supsystic – Image Gallery, Masonry, Albums & Lightbox 20K+ · 4.6★ (498) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too low 2 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525) wp.org #4 ↑3 2 too low 3 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 Gallery PhotoBlocks 3K+ · 5.0★ (76) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Wedding RSVP – Wedding Guest List, Meal Choices & RSVP Tracker 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #1 4 too high 6 Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155) wp.org #8 ↑3 2 too low 7 Cool Timeline (Horizontal & Vertical Timeline) 20K+ · 4.7★ (333) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 Image Photo Gallery Final Tiles Grid 20K+ · 4.7★ (353) wp.org #7 ↓5 2 too high 10 Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More 100K+ · 4.7★ (1596) wp.org #15 ↓7 5 too low 11 Bold Page Builder 40K+ · 3.6★ (66) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 Sunshine Photo Cart – Client Photo Gallery & Photo Proofing for Photographers 1K+ · 4.7★ (138) wp.org #13 ↑1 14 Cost Calculator Builder 20K+ · 4.5★ (393) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 WP Booking System – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (344) wp.org #24 ↓2 9 too low 16 Layouts for Elementor 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too high 17 Timeline Module for Divi 3K+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too high 18 Layouts for WPBakery 3K+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too high 19 Bulk Images to Posts 1K+ · 4.8★ (18) wp.org #19 ↑1 20 NM Gift Registry and Wishlist Lite 200+ · 4.9★ (25) wp.org #20 ↓1 21 Super Advent Calendar 300+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #21 22 WPC Force Sells for WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too high 23 WP Gravity Forms Constant Contact Plugin 600+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 24 Zita Site Library for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.