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

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 “wp events”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20. 5 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

WP Events Manager shows at wp.org #10 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 30K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.7★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 1720 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. 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 WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #4 5 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 WP Event Manager – Events Calendar, Registrations, Sell Tickets with WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.0★ (249) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184) wp.org #8 ↑2 9 WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167) wp.org #9 10 WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too low 11 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 My Calendar – Accessible Event Manager 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) wp.org #15 2 too low 14 Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 Event Booking Manager for WooCommerce – Sell Tickets, Event Registration, RSVP & Event Calendar 7K+ · 4.5★ (167) wp.org #11 ↑1 4 too high 16 Eventin – Events Calendar, Tickets, Registration, Booking & WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (413) wp.org #16 17 Hide My WP Ghost – Security & Firewall 100K+ · 4.5★ (373) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Event Tickets and Registration 90K+ · 3.5★ (236) wp.org #13 ↓2 5 too high 19 Events Made Easy 1K+ · 4.6★ (111) wp.org #19 20 W WP Photo Album Plus 10K+ · 4.7★ (199) wp.org #18 ↑2 2 too high 21 Events Shortcodes For The Events Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (214) wp.org #21 22 Event Genius – Event Calendar, Event Registration, and Attendee Management 600+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too high 23 WP Events Manager 30K+ · 2.7★ (13) wp.org #10 ↓2 13 too high 24 WP Consent API 200K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 1 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.