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

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 “block”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 3 of the top 20. 3 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

VK Block Patterns shows at wp.org #10 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #1 2 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #2 ↑3 3 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 The Icon Block 40K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too low 6 Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 IP Location Block 10K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #5 ↑17 2 too high 8 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #8 ↑7 9 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (59) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too high 11 Lightbox for Gallery & Image Block 20K+ · 5.0★ (88) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12 PublishPress Blocks – Block Controls, Block Visibility, Block Permissions 20K+ · 4.7★ (204) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #15 2 too low 14 Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 Flexible Table Block 40K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too low 16 SVG Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too high 17 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #21 ↓10 4 too low 18 Blocks Animation: CSS Animations for Gutenberg Blocks 90K+ · 4.8★ (73) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Map Block for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (21) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #20 21 VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Timeline Block For Gutenberg 9K+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 VK Block Patterns 100K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 13 too high 24 Gmap Block 10K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 2 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.