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

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

VK Block Patterns shows at wp.org #5 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 100K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

SimpLy Gallery places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 118 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 Prevent Browser Caching 10K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #1 2 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #2 3 Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Leverage Browser Caching 9K+ · 4.1★ (42) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Flexible Table Block 40K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 PublishPress Blocks – Block Controls, Block Visibility, Block Permissions 20K+ · 4.7★ (204) wp.org #12 5 too low 8 Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #9 1 too low 9 Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 Create Block Theme 20K+ · 4.8★ (38) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 SimpLy Gallery 40K+ · 4.8★ (118) wp.org #24 13 too low 12 Code Block Pro – Beautiful Syntax Highlighting 10K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 Embed YouTube Block – Fast Loading Videos, Shorts & Playlists 6K+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #17 3 too low 15 Custom HTML Block Extension 7K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 Easy Tabs Block – Smart, Lightweight & Responsive Tabs for the Block Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Table Of Contents Block 10K+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #11 6 too high 18 Image Slider Block 4K+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #18 19 VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 Popup builder with Gamification, Multi-Step Popups, Page-Level Targeting, and WooCommerce Triggers 70K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 VK Block Patterns 100K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 16 too high 22 Countdown Block 4K+ · 4.1★ (7) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 Justify for Paragraph Block 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Flexa Block – Blocks & Page Builder 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 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.