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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “block visual 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 visual editor”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 3 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

Classic Visual Editor Options shows at wp.org #10 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Ultimate Blocks – 25+ Gutenberg Blocks for Block Editor places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 729 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Gallery by Visual Portfolio 60K+ · 4.8★ (340) wp.org #1 2 Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 Better Block Editor (BBE) 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #2 ↑1 2 too high 5 Visual CSS Style Editor 30K+ · 4.1★ (90) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #8 ↑11 1 too low 8 Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #6 ↓4 2 too high 9 Ultimate Blocks – 25+ Gutenberg Blocks for Block Editor 50K+ · 4.9★ (729) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 Visual Composer Website Builder 30K+ · 4.6★ (220) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too low 11 The Icon Block 40K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too high 12 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 Visual Link Preview 10K+ · 4.5★ (36) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14 HTML Editor Syntax Highlighter 60K+ · 4.4★ (110) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 GutenKit – Page Builder Blocks, Patterns, and Templates for Gutenberg Block Editor 80K+ · 4.5★ (48) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #18 ↓6 2 too low 17 Classic Visual Editor Options 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #10 ↓1 7 too high 18 Responsive Blocks – Page Builder for Blocks & Patterns 3K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Timeline Block For Gutenberg 9K+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21 Block Editor: Reverse Columns on Mobile 700+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Timeline Block – tell your story with elegant timelines 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Easy Tabs Block – Smart, Lightweight & Responsive Tabs for the Block Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 Jamie's Visual HTML Editor 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 ↑1 4 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.