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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “bento layout”

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

Marquee Addons for Elementor – Essential Motion Widgets & Templates shows at wp.org #4 but places #10 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More places #6 on merit, 4.7★ from 1596 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 HT Mega Addons for Elementor – Elementor Widgets & Template Builder 60K+ · 4.1★ (66) wp.org #1 2 AI-Powered Carousel, Slider, Video & Photo Gallery Blocks by WP Carousel 60K+ · 4.7★ (434) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 WS Form LITE – Drag & Drop Contact Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (322) wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too low 4 Content Blocks Builder – Create blocks, repeater blocks with carousel, grid, popup layouts 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Meow Gallery 10K+ · 4.9★ (203) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6 Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More 100K+ · 4.7★ (1596) wp.org #14 ↓5 8 too low 7 Bento Box 80+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 WP Fusion Lite – Marketing Automation and CRM Integration for WordPress 4K+ · 5.0★ (69) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 Video Player Block – play videos beautifully on any device 2K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too high 10 Marquee Addons for Elementor – Essential Motion Widgets & Templates 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #4 ↓1 6 too high 11 Video Gallery Block – showcase your videos in a filterable gallery 1K+ · 4.2★ (6) wp.org #7 ↑5 4 too high 12 ReviewPine: Google Reviews Widget, Slider and Badge 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13 Blockenberg — 645 Advanced Gutenberg Blocks, 683 Templates and AI Agent for WordPress Block Editor 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14 Bento Grid Gallery 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 Awesome FAQ – answer questions before customers ask 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↓3 6 too high 16 BoldSpan Bento Grid — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 17 Impress Bento Grid — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 Sentio Widgets for Elementor 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 19 MKM Content Layout Studio — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too low 20 Iris Theme Kit 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓1 3 too low 21 CategorX Category Displays – Product Category Slider, Grid & Bento Grid for WooCommerce — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 Section Collection – Add Ready-made Sections to Design Modern Websites 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 Raoa Addons for Elementor — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 PressGo AI — Landing Page & Website Builder for Elementor 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 3 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.