wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “working hours”
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 “working hours”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 2 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
ITBoffins Live Opening Hours Banner & Table shows at wp.org #5 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 2470 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Appointment Hour Booking – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (524)
wp.org #1 2 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
WP Chat App 100K+ · 4.9★ (222)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #9 5 too low 5 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Business Hours Indicator 7K+ · 4.9★ (60) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 3 too high 7 
Chatway Live Chat – AI Chatbot, Customer Support, FAQ & Helpdesk Customer Service & Chat Buttons 30K+ · 5.0★ (775)
wp.org #12 5 too low 8 
Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322)
wp.org #13 4 too low 10 
Cart Abandonment Recovery for WooCommerce – Recover Lost Sales with Automated Emails 300K+ · 4.8★ (626) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #14 3 too low 12 
Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157)
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Bookit — Booking & Appointment Calendar 4K+ · 3.8★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #6 7 too high 14 
Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869)
wp.org #17 3 too low 15 
WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312)
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 17 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
ACF: Better Search 40K+ · 4.9★ (165)
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
WP Force SSL & HTTPS SSL Redirect 80K+ · 4.7★ (179)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #20 1 too high 22 
Rox Appointment Booking – Event, Calendar & Appointment Scheduling 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 ITBoffins Live Opening Hours Banner & Table 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #5 18 too high 24 
Tap Chat – Floating Contact Button 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #15 9 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.