wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “admin grid”
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 “admin grid”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 6 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
Video Grid shows at wp.org #14 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 15 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Widgets for Google Reviews places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 2667 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.
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #1 2 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #2 3 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #3 4 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #4 5 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #5 6 
Post Grid Addon for Elementor 10K+ · 4.9★ (76)
wp.org #6 ↑1 7 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 
AnWP Post Grid and Post Carousel Slider for Elementor 20K+ · 4.9★ (84)
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #16 7 too low 10 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑2 3 too high 11 
Product Category Slider & Grid for WooCommerce – Reno Product Category 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 3 too high 12 
Responsive Gallery Grid 4K+ · 4.7★ (66)
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
Image Photo Gallery Final Tiles Grid 20K+ · 4.7★ (353) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓6 1 too high 14 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 4 too low 15 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #23 ↓3 8 too low 16 
Gallery PhotoBlocks 3K+ · 5.0★ (76)
wp.org #22 ↓1 6 too low 17 
Smart Grid-Layout Design for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.5★ (72) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too high 18 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #24 ↓1 6 too low 19 
WP Ultimate Post Grid 4K+ · 4.4★ (32) heavy footprint
wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too high 20 
Portfolio Grid – Filterable Gallery, Grid & Slider Showcase 800+ · 4.4★ (33)
wp.org #19 ↓2 1 too high 21 Video Grid 1K+ · 4.4★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too high 22 
Grid Shortcodes 2K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓4 2 too high 23 
Grid Gallery – for Photo Gallery, Image Gallery & Portfolio 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too high 24 
Classic Blog Grid 3K+ · 3.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓2 7 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.