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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “button 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 “button block”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 2 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 #8 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 14 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

PublishPress Blocks – Block Controls, Block Visibility, Block Permissions places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 204 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 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (59) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 SVG Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #9 ↑2 1 too low 9 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) wp.org #11 ↑4 2 too low 10 PublishPress Blocks – Block Controls, Block Visibility, Block Permissions 20K+ · 4.7★ (204) wp.org #16 ↓2 6 too low 11 Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 Flexible Table Block 40K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1114) wp.org #20 ↓1 7 too low 14 Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #15 ↓6 1 too low 15 Button visually impaired 10K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 WP Call Button – Easy Click to Call Button for WordPress 40K+ · 4.7★ (69) wp.org #22 ↓2 6 too low 17 Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 Add to Calendar Button 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 Better Block Editor (BBE) 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #23 ↓1 4 too low 20 Target Blank to Button Block 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too high 21 Timeline Block For Gutenberg 9K+ · 4.4★ (11) wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 VK Block Patterns 100K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 14 too high 23 Gmap Block 10K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 Ko-fi Button 5K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 14 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.