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

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 shortcodes”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

NEO Bootstrap Carousel shows at wp.org #6 but places #20 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

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 1281 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Bootstrap Shortcodes 4K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #1 2 Easy Bootstrap Shortcode 6K+ · 4.0★ (50) wp.org #2 3 Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #7 4 too low 4 WS Form LITE – Drag & Drop Contact Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (322) wp.org #12 8 too low 5 Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 Cool Flipbox – Shortcode & Gutenberg Block 5K+ · 4.8★ (103) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #16 9 too low 8 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #15 7 too low 9 Contact Form Clean and Simple 7K+ · 4.7★ (195) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 Hide Broken Shortcodes 400+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 Easy Appointments 10K+ · 4.3★ (131) wp.org #11 12 Uix Shortcodes 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 8 too high 13 Blog Filter – Post Grid Filter by Category or Tag 7K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 BlockStrap Page Builder – Bootstrap Blocks 2K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #3 11 too high 15 SVG Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #14 1 too high 16 Weblizar Pin It Button On Image Hover And Post 10K+ · 4.0★ (64) wp.org #22 ↓1 6 too low 17 Filter Gallery 3K+ · 4.6★ (22) wp.org #17 ↑1 18 RSS Feed Widget 2K+ · 3.9★ (26) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 WP Docs 1K+ · 4.8★ (18) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 NEO Bootstrap Carousel 30+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #6 14 too high 21 Bootstrap Carousel Slider – Responsive Image Slider 40+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #8 13 too high 22 EO4WP: EmailOctopus for WordPress 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 FAQly – Ultimate FAQ 1K+ · 3.8★ (5) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 Mox Icons – Icon Pack for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) 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.