wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “align wide”
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 “align wide”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Hot Blocks shows at wp.org #4 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 500+ 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
MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 2354 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #1 2 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Options for Twenty Twenty-One 6K+ · 4.9★ (64)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755)
wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6 
Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1114)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (236)
wp.org #8 ↑1 9 
Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28)
wp.org #5 4 too high 10 
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #11 ↑2 1 too low 11 MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies 20K+ · 4.9★ (2354)
wp.org #20 9 too low 12 
Perfect Brands for WooCommerce 40K+ · 4.7★ (414)
wp.org #14 ↓2 2 too low 13 
Social Feed Gallery 80K+ · 4.5★ (303)
wp.org #12 ↑4 1 too high 14 
HTML5 Video Player – embed fast, responsive videos with ease 20K+ · 4.6★ (195)
wp.org #16 ↑5 2 too low 15 
Twentig Supercharged Block Editor – Blocks, Patterns, Starter Sites, Portfolio 20K+ · 4.9★ (171)
wp.org #21 ↓11 6 too low 16 
We’re Open! 5K+ · 5.0★ (45)
wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too low 17 
Motors – Car Dealership & Classified Listings Plugin 9K+ · 4.5★ (79)
wp.org #22 ↓3 5 too low 18 
Email Customizer for WooCommerce | Drag and Drop Email Templates Builder 9K+ · 4.3★ (44)
wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too high 19 
Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓4 20 
Additional Custom Emails & Recipients for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21 
HT Slider For Elementor 20K+ · 3.8★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too high 22 Hot Blocks 500+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #4 18 too high 23 
Abs – Additional block styles 400+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓2 10 too high 24 
SurveyJS: Drag & Drop Form Builder 500+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓3 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.