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

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 styling”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Gmap Block shows at wp.org #11 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

PublishPress Blocks – Block Controls, Block Visibility, Block Permissions places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 204 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. 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 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 The Icon Block 40K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (59) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040) wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 PublishPress Blocks – Block Controls, Block Visibility, Block Permissions 20K+ · 4.7★ (204) wp.org #17 ↓1 7 too low 11 SVG Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Flexible Table Block 40K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #12 ↑2 13 Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #15 2 too low 14 SimpleTOC – Table of Contents Block 10K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #8 7 too high 16 Block Enhancements – Extended styling for the Block Editor 800+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 Easy Accordion Block – Accordion, FAQ & Collapsible Content for the Block Editor 7K+ · 4.4★ (16) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) wp.org #23 ↓2 5 too low 19 Timeline Block For Gutenberg 9K+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too high 20 Timeline Block – tell your story with elegant timelines 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 Gmap Block 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 10 too high 22 Easy Tabs Block – Smart, Lightweight & Responsive Tabs for the Block Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 F FAQ Block For Gutenberg 4K+ · 4.4★ (8) wp.org #24 ↓2 1 too low 24 VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) 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.