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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “bootstrap 4”

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 4”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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 #4 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 14 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

Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder places #10 on merit, 4.6★ from 472 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Bootstrap Blocks 10K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #1 2 Gravity Booster – Styles & Layouts for Gravity Forms 30K+ · 4.6★ (199) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Bootstrap Shortcodes 4K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 WS Form LITE – Drag & Drop Contact Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (322) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Utimate Kit ( Styler ) for WPForms 20K+ · 4.8★ (114) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 WP Travel Engine – Tour Booking Plugin – Tour Operator Software 20K+ · 4.9★ (594) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too low 7 Accordion FAQ – Compatible With All Page Builder (Elementor, Gutenberg) 30K+ · 4.6★ (676) wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too low 8 Blog Filter – Post Grid Filter by Category or Tag 7K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 Album Gallery for Flickr 4K+ · 3.9★ (86) wp.org #9 10 Ninja Tables – Easy Data Table Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (472) wp.org #21 ↓7 11 too low 11 Tabs Widget for Page Builder 3K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #8 3 too high 12 Simple Google Calendar Outlook Events Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #5 7 too high 13 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #24 ↓1 11 too low 14 Team Builder – Team Member Showcase With Grid and slider, Compatible With Elementor, Gutenberg 6K+ · 4.5★ (142) wp.org #20 6 too low 15 Joinchat – Enhanced “click to chat” 700K+ · 4.7★ (189) wp.org #22 ↓3 7 too low 16 Pricing Table – Responsive & Easy 3K+ · 4.2★ (26) wp.org #13 ↓3 3 too high 17 ACF Photo Gallery Field 60K+ · 4.0★ (29) wp.org #14 ↑1 3 too high 18 NEO Bootstrap Carousel 30+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #4 14 too high 19 Counters Block – Animated Number Counters, Stats & Dynamic KPIs 3K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Modal Popup Box — Popup Maker & Popup Builder 2K+ · 3.5★ (10) wp.org #19 ↑2 1 too high 21 Mox Icons – Icon Pack for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↑1 10 too high 22 HT Portfolio – WordPress Portfolio Plugin for Elementor 300+ · 3.0★ (4) wp.org #18 ↑4 4 too high 23 Service Box Slider 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↑1 7 too high 24 IS-theme-companion 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↑1 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.