Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “card layout”

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 “card layout”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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

Card Elements for WPBakery shows at wp.org #3 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Unlimited Elements for Elementor places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 525 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 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #8 ↑2 7 too low 2 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #7 ↑1 5 too low 3 Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 WP Plugin Info Card – Showcase Beautiful Plugin, Theme, and GitHub Cards Anywhere 400+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #13 ↑5 8 too low 6 Info Cards – Add Text and Media in Card Layouts 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #18 ↑1 11 too low 8 Flip Cards Module For Divi 3K+ · 4.9★ (32) wp.org #10 ↑2 2 too low 9 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #24 15 too low 10 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Cards Layout – showcase content in responsive card grids 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 9 too high 12 Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #20 ↑4 8 too low 13 Flexible PDF Coupons – Gift Cards & Vouchers for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 Create 6K+ · 4.3★ (25) wp.org #12 ↑4 2 too high 15 YMC Filter 4K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #19 ↓6 4 too low 16 Business Card Block – present your team and contact info in style 1K+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #4 12 too high 17 Product Layouts for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #11 ↓2 6 too high 18 Mercado Pago payments for WooCommerce 100K+ · 3.9★ (693) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (177) wp.org #17 ↑4 2 too high 20 Card Elements for WPBakery 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 17 too high 21 Tarot Card Oracle 100+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #9 ↑2 12 too high 22 Rede Itaú for WooCommerce — Payment PIX, Credit Card and Debit 1K+ · 4.3★ (9) wp.org #15 ↑2 7 too high 23 Newspaper Social Media Photo Card 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 Scrumptious – Recipe Cards 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 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.