wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “blank template”
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 “blank template”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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
Blank shows at wp.org #9 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 800+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Blank Slate 10K+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #1 2 
Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820)
wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too low 4 
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #12 ↓1 7 too low 6 
Super Blank 9K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #2 4 too high 7 
Custom Field Template 30K+ · 4.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #4 3 too high 8 
ShopEngine – All-in-One Elementor WooCommerce Builder with eCommerce Templates & Woo Widgets 100K+ · 4.6★ (212)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #13 4 too low 10 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 
Fullwidth Templates for Any Theme & Page Builder 20K+ · 4.7★ (42)
wp.org #7 ↓1 4 too high 12 
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #16 ↑4 4 too low 13 
Contact Form by Supsystic – Drag & Drop Form Builder with Templates & Form Statistics 6K+ · 4.7★ (92)
wp.org #11 2 too high 14 
Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) – Quiz Maker & Survey Maker 40K+ · 4.7★ (1282)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Inactive Logout 10K+ · 4.8★ (106)
wp.org #17 ↓2 2 too low 16 
Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184)
wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too low 17 
Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212)
wp.org #21 ↓3 4 too low 18 
HT Mega Addons for Elementor – Elementor Widgets & Template Builder 60K+ · 4.1★ (66)
wp.org #18 ↓1 19 
WP Email Template 2K+ · 3.1★ (35)
wp.org #8 11 too high 20 
Animation Addons – Elementor Addons, GSAP Animations, Elementor V4 Atomic Widgets & Elementor Templates 10K+ · 4.6★ (66)
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 
WDesignKit – AI Templates, Widget Builder & MCP Workflow 30K+ · 4.8★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓3 6 too high 22 
Simple Content Templates for Blog Posts & Pages 1K+ · 4.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #22 23 
Marquee Addons for Elementor – Essential Motion Widgets & Templates 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 Blank 800+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑1 15 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.