Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “alignment”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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.

Ranked above its merit

Justify for Paragraph Block shows at wp.org #3 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 2433 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Bootstrap Blocks 10K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #1 2 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #2 3 Image Hover Effects – Elementor Addon 40K+ · 4.9★ (83) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 The Icon Block 40K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #4 5 Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516) wp.org #13 ↑2 8 too low 6 ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Brizy – Page Builder 60K+ · 4.7★ (972) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #17 ↑6 9 too low 9 Ultimate Before After Image Slider & Gallery – BEAF 30K+ · 4.9★ (107) wp.org #12 ↓6 3 too low 10 Auto Featured Image (Auto Post Thumbnail) 40K+ · 3.8★ (119) wp.org #7 ↑7 3 too high 11 Kaya QR Code Generator 10K+ · 4.4★ (38) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 Getwid – Gutenberg Blocks 50K+ · 4.7★ (115) wp.org #14 ↑2 2 too low 13 Mailonix – Email Template Customizer for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (105) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 Better Block Editor (BBE) 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #6 ↑1 9 too high 16 Image Watermark 40K+ · 4.2★ (298) wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too low 17 Twentig Supercharged Block Editor – Blocks, Patterns, Starter Sites, Portfolio 20K+ · 4.9★ (171) wp.org #24 ↓11 7 too low 18 Justify for Paragraph Block 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #3 15 too high 19 Logo Slider WP – Responsive Logo Carousel, Logo Gallery & Logo Showcase 10K+ · 4.5★ (61) wp.org #21 ↓9 2 too low 20 Teydea Login Customizer – Custom Login Page, Branding & Styling 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #20 ↓2 21 PDF Viewer Block for Gutenberg 10K+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #15 ↑2 6 too high 22 Magazine Blocks – Blog Designer, Magazine & Newspaper Website Builder, Page Builder with Posts Blocks, Post Grid 6K+ · 4.9★ (11) wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 Text Unfold For Elementor 3K+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Custom Icons for Elementor and WPBakery 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.