Plugin Pulse
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “bootstrap 3”

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 “bootstrap 3”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 6 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

NEO Bootstrap Carousel shows at wp.org #5 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 1318 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Easy Bootstrap Shortcode 6K+ · 4.0★ (50) wp.org #1 2 Bootstrap Shortcodes 4K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #2 3 WS Form LITE – Drag & Drop Contact Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (322) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Gravity Booster – Styles & Layouts for Gravity Forms 30K+ · 4.6★ (199) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software 20K+ · 4.9★ (593) wp.org #12 6 too low 7 Block Editor Bootstrap Blocks 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1318) wp.org #24 ↓1 16 too low 9 Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.9★ (79) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too low 10 Album Gallery for Flickr 4K+ · 3.9★ (86) wp.org #10 11 Blog Filter – Post Grid Filter by Category or Tag 7K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #19 8 too low 12 Reviews Widgets for Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp & Recommendations 10K+ · 4.9★ (324) wp.org #23 ↓1 11 too low 13 WP Docs 1K+ · 4.8★ (18) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 BlockStrap Page Builder – Bootstrap Blocks 2K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #4 10 too high 15 Filter Gallery 3K+ · 4.6★ (22) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 Counters Block – Animated Number Counters, Stats & Dynamic KPIs 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #13 ↑2 3 too high 17 NEO Bootstrap Carousel 30+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #5 12 too high 18 ACF Photo Gallery Field 60K+ · 4.0★ (29) wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too low 19 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #17 ↑3 2 too high 20 Hello I am here! Video conferences 200+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 FAQly – Ultimate FAQ 1K+ · 3.8★ (5) wp.org #11 10 too high 22 F Fade Slider 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↓1 23 Open Source Event Calendar 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too high 24 IS-theme-companion 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 9 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.