wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “block editor”
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 editor”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Better Block Editor (BBE) shows at wp.org #10 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 10 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 27819 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Classic Editor 8M+ · 4.9★ (1247)
wp.org #1 2 
Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354)
wp.org #2 3 
Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108)
wp.org #5 ↑2 2 too low 4 
GutenKit – Page Builder Blocks, Patterns, and Templates for Gutenberg Block Editor 80K+ · 4.5★ (47) heavy footprint
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 400K+ · 4.9★ (1056)
wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (332) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
Twentig Supercharged Block Editor – Blocks, Patterns, Starter Sites, Portfolio 20K+ · 4.9★ (171)
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 
Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.6★ (39) heavy footprint
wp.org #4 4 too high 9 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27819)
wp.org #16 ↓3 7 too low 10 
Ultimate Blocks – 25+ Gutenberg Blocks for Block Editor 50K+ · 4.9★ (729) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #11 ↑1 12 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1277)
wp.org #19 7 too low 13 
Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (249) heavy footprint
wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too high 14 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1870) heavy footprint
wp.org #14 ↑1 15 
Block Editor Colors 3K+ · 4.8★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 8 too high 16 
Gutenverse – WordPress Blocks, Page Builder & Site Editor 20K+ · 4.9★ (190) heavy footprint
wp.org #18 2 too low 17 
Lightbox for Gallery & Image Block 20K+ · 5.0★ (88)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
The Icon Block 40K+ · 5.0★ (29)
wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too high 19 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5208) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #24 ↓4 5 too low 20 
Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 Better Block Editor (BBE) 6K+ · 5.0★ (10) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↑1 11 too high 22 
No Gutenberg? – Choose Where to Use the Block Editor or the Classic Editor 9K+ · 5.0★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23 
Easy Accordion Block – Accordion, FAQ & Collapsible Content for the Block Editor 7K+ · 4.4★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 
FrontEdit – Live Frontend Block Editor 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #17 7 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.