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

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 “yachts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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.

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Ranked above its merit

NFT Login shows at wp.org #18 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Booking Calendar places #3 on merit, 4.7★ from 655 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 BA Book Everything 10K+ · 4.2★ (20) wp.org #1 2 Layouts for Elementor 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #2 3 Booking Calendar 40K+ · 4.7★ (655) wp.org #16 13 too low 4 Booking and Rental Manager for Bike | Car | Resort | Appointment | Dress | Equipment 1K+ · 4.4★ (33) wp.org #17 13 too low 5 Bukza 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Blocksolid 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 3 too high 7 P Planyo online reservation system 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 GemBooking – Appointment Booking, Booking Calendar & Reservations 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 MagePeople Yacht Booking System — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 GKSoft Yacht Booking — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Formix Charter – Boat & Yacht Charter Booking — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 SlotNova Booking for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 S Scintilla Blocks — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Yachtino boat listing 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 NFT Gallery 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 BookingHive – Reservation Calendar for WooCommerce 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 ABP RentalForge — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Rentme Woo 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Maradigma — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 S Signal Flags 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 SmartBroker 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 FAT Live Fixed 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 N NFT Login 10+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 P Planyo online reservations – WooCommerce integration 10+ · 0.0★ (0) 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.