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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “360”

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 “360”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20.

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

Panorama Block – immerse visitors in 360 degree views shows at wp.org #5 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 700+ 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

If-So Dynamic Content – Elementor & All Page Builders Personalization places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 92 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WPVR – 360 Panorama viewer and Virtual Tour Builder for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #1 2 iPanorama 360 – Advanced Virtual Tour Builder 4K+ · 4.5★ (31) wp.org #2 3 360 Javascript Viewer 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #10 6 too low 5 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #15 ↑7 10 too low 6 Site Search 360 300+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too high 7 Check & Log Email – Easy Email Testing & Mail logging 90K+ · 4.8★ (292) wp.org #12 5 too low 8 SR Product 360° View 200+ · 4.7★ (23) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too low 9 Image Optimizer, Resizer and CDN – Sirv 900+ · 4.9★ (265) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #19 9 too low 11 If-So Dynamic Content – Elementor & All Page Builders Personalization 7K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #23 12 too low 12 3D Viewer – Turn Product Pages into Interactive 3D Experiences 9K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too low 13 Panorama – Turn Photos into Immersive Virtual Tours 2K+ · 4.3★ (9) wp.org #11 2 too high 14 Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 Essential Real Estate 7K+ · 4.3★ (52) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 HappyVR – Virtual Tour Builder & 360 Panorama Viewer 70+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↑2 9 too high 17 Algori 360 Image 3K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 Garden Gnome Package 4K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 Panorama Block – immerse visitors in 360 degree views 700+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 14 too high 20 360 Product Viewer for WooCommerce 300+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #6 14 too high 21 WP Google Street View (with 360° virtual tour) & Google maps + Local SEO 300+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too high 22 Photo Sphere Viewer – 360° Virtual Tour, Panorama, 360 Video & AR 3D Viewer 600+ · 3.5★ (2) wp.org #8 14 too high 23 Advanced Panorama 360 Viewer 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 Marketing 360® Payments for WooCommerce 30+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 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.