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

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 “biography”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 5 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

Card Elements for WPBakery shows at wp.org #8 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 10 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

Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 58 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Author Avatars List/Block 4K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #3 ↓1 2 too low 2 Team – Team Members Showcase Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (67) wp.org #5 ↑3 3 too low 3 Gravatar Enhanced – Avatars, Profiles, and Privacy 100K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #1 ↑2 2 too high 4 Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #10 6 too low 5 Individual Multisite Author 30+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #9 ↓2 4 too low 6 Kubio AI Page Builder 80K+ · 4.4★ (79) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too low 7 GutenKit – Page Builder Blocks, Patterns, and Templates for Gutenberg Block Editor 80K+ · 4.5★ (48) wp.org #17 ↓1 10 too low 8 GS Books Showcase – Display Books in Grid, Slider & More | Library for WordPress 500+ · 4.8★ (42) wp.org #22 ↓1 14 too low 9 Cool Author Box – For Widget and Post Content 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 5 too high 10 Bold Timeline Lite 10K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #2 ↓1 8 too high 11 Timeline Block – tell your story with elegant timelines 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too low 12 Meet My Team 300+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #24 ↓1 12 too low 13 Timeline – Tell Your Story Through Events and Milestones 2K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too low 14 WP Travel Gutenberg Blocks 800+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 ↓1 8 too high 15 My Social Feeds – bring your social content into WordPress 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 too high 16 Team Builder Member Showcase 1K+ · 3.8★ (4) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too high 17 RTMKit for Elementor – Modular Addons, Widgets, Templates, Icon Library, GSAP Animations, MCP & Store Ready 40K+ · 2.7★ (16) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 Card Elements for WPBakery 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↑1 10 too high 19 Author Box & Pages for E-E-A-T Optimization 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 Feeds for TikTok – Keep Your Site Fresh with Your Latest Videos 1K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 WBD Team Member – Gutenberg Block 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑9 10 too high 22 History Timeline for Biography, Company History & Event Timeline 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too high 23 Fancy Post Grid – Ultimate Post Grid Builder 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓1 24 WT Widgets for Elementor 300+ · 1.5★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓1 5 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.