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← Rankings

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

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 usage”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Timeline Block For Gutenberg shows at wp.org #6 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 9K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 11 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 #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #1 2 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #2 3 Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #3 4 PublishPress Blocks – Block Controls, Block Visibility, Block Permissions 20K+ · 4.7★ (204) wp.org #4 5 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #5 6 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7 Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #8 ↑10 1 too low 8 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #22 ↓2 14 too low 9 iQ Block Country 20K+ · 3.9★ (166) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #10 ↓3 11 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #21 ↓2 10 too low 12 Create Block Theme 20K+ · 4.8★ (38) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 Code Block Pro – Beautiful Syntax Highlighting 10K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 Timeline Block For Gutenberg 9K+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #6 ↑3 8 too high 15 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 too high 16 Contact Form Block 600+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #20 ↑2 4 too low 17 Hyperlink Group Block 7K+ · 4.3★ (14) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Timeline Block – tell your story with elegant timelines 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #11 ↓1 7 too high 19 Advanced Accordion Gutenberg Block – Create Beautiful FAQs, Content Accordions & Interactive Tabs 9K+ · 4.1★ (34) wp.org #23 ↑1 4 too low 20 Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) wp.org #15 ↓2 5 too high 21 Responsive Blocks – Page Builder for Blocks & Patterns 3K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Video Player Block – play videos beautifully on any device 2K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #19 ↑2 3 too high 23 Carousel Block – Showcase Images in Elegant Sliding Displays 7K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too high 24 Block AI Crawlers 2K+ · 4.4★ (8) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.