wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “advanced toc”

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 “advanced toc”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

DominoPost – Advanced Post Editor with AI Writer, Link Building Suite, Free Google Search Console & GA4 Analytics shows at wp.org #9 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 14 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

Stackable – Page Builder Gutenberg Blocks places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 522 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 signals wp.org

Easy Table of Contents 600K+ · 4.4★ (221) wp.org #1 2

Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187) wp.org #2 3

SimpleTOC – Table of Contents Block 10K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4

BetterDocs – AI Documentation, Knowledge Base, MCP Server, Docs, Wikis, FAQ & Chatbot 30K+ · 4.8★ (515) heavy footprint wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too low 5

Joli Table Of Contents – Table of Contents with Gutenberg Block & Shortcode 7K+ · 4.9★ (43) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6

Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #6 ↑2 7

Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) heavy footprint wp.org #10 3 too low 8

Glossary 2K+ · 4.7★ (84) wp.org #12 4 too low 9

Gutentor – Gutenberg Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor 30K+ · 4.6★ (90) wp.org #13 4 too low 10

Echo Knowledge Base – Documentation, FAQs, Chat & Smart Search 10K+ · 4.9★ (124) wp.org #20 ↓1 10 too low 11

Stackable – Page Builder Gutenberg Blocks 100K+ · 4.9★ (522) heavy footprint wp.org #23 ↓1 12 too low 12

GutenTOC – Advanced Table of Contents 600+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #7 ↓1 5 too high 13

weDocs: AI Powered Knowledge Base, Docs, Documentation, Wiki & AI Chatbot 5K+ · 4.6★ (69) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14

EazyDocs – AI Powered Knowledge Base, Wiki, Documentation & FAQ Builder 2K+ · 4.7★ (100) wp.org #21 ↓1 7 too low 15

Knowledge Base documentation & wiki plugin – BasePress Docs 2K+ · 4.8★ (75) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16

Superb Addons: Blocks, Patterns, Pre-built Pages, Sliders, Popups, Free Forms, Animations & More 80K+ · 4.9★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17

All-in-One Sticky Anything – Click to Call, Fixed Widget, Sticky Header, Menu & Sidebar 1K+ · 4.9★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #15 2 too high 18

Table Of Contents Block 10K+ · 4.3★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #8 ↓1 10 too high 19

Table Of Content Block – Auto-Generate Clickable Table of Contents 3K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #11 8 too high 20

LA-Studio Element Kit for Elementor 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #14 6 too high 21

Squad Modules Lite – Free Divi 5 & Divi 4 Modules for Divi Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22

Knowledge Base 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23

DominoPost – Advanced Post Editor with AI Writer, Link Building Suite, Free Google Search Console & GA4 Analytics 100+ · 5.0★ (1) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #9 14 too high 24

Table of Contents (TOC) Block – Fast & SEO Friendly 10+ · 4.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓1 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.