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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “bullet”

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 “bullet”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Crowdsignal Forms shows at wp.org #8 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 200K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Reset places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 1014 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (59) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125) wp.org #3 4 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #4 5 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #5 ↑2 6 Easy Table of Contents 600K+ · 4.4★ (221) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (235) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 WP Reset 300K+ · 4.8★ (1014) wp.org #13 5 too low 9 GetGenie – AI SEO Assistant & Content Writer with Keyword Research, AEO & GEO 70K+ · 4.8★ (119) wp.org #9 ↑1 10 Ultimate Responsive Image Slider 30K+ · 4.5★ (248) wp.org #15 ↑8 5 too low 11 Popup Builder – Create highly converting, mobile friendly marketing popups. 200K+ · 4.7★ (2215) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 SimpleTOC – Table of Contents Block 10K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 Ultimate Blocks – 25+ Gutenberg Blocks for Block Editor 50K+ · 4.9★ (729) wp.org #24 ↓3 11 too low 14 JS Archive List 3K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #18 ↓4 4 too low 15 Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) wp.org #23 ↓5 8 too low 16 Advanced Sidebar Menu 10K+ · 4.5★ (37) wp.org #22 ↓2 6 too low 17 Kadence Starter Templates — Predesigned Website Templates 200K+ · 4.3★ (19) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 List categories 5K+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too high 19 JS Categories List Widget 1K+ · 4.8★ (15) wp.org #20 ↓5 1 too low 20 Item Lists for Elementor 1K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #11 9 too high 21 Icon List Block – Add Icon-Based Lists with Custom Styles 4K+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #10 ↓1 11 too high 22 Crowdsignal Forms 200K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 14 too high 23 Carousel Block – Showcase Images in Elegant Sliding Displays 7K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #19 ↓2 4 too high 24 Swipe Slider – Make dynamic slider with solid, gradient, or image background 3K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓2 3 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.