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

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 widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

Card Elements for WPBakery shows at wp.org #5 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 18 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

Custom Twitter Feeds – A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 401 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current wp.org #1 2

Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #6 4 too low 3

Recipe Card Blocks Lite 10K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #2 1 too high 4

Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #7 3 too low 5

WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144) wp.org #9 4 too low 6

SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #8 2 too low 7

Cryptocurrency Widgets – Price Ticker & Coins List 6K+ · 4.8★ (191) wp.org #10 3 too low 8

GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget 900+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #4 4 too high 9

Card Elements for Elementor 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #3 6 too high 10

HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #11 1 too low 11

Gift Up Gift Cards for WordPress and WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.9★ (235) wp.org #18 7 too low 12

Custom Twitter Feeds – A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget 100K+ · 4.8★ (401) wp.org #22 10 too low 13

Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212) wp.org #19 6 too low 14

Social Slider Feed – Social Media Feed & Gallery Widgets 10K+ · 3.9★ (127) wp.org #17 3 too low 15

WP Plugin Info Card – Showcase Beautiful Plugin, Theme, and GitHub Cards Anywhere 400+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #13 2 too high 16

Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current wp.org #23 7 too low 17

Events Widgets For Elementor And The Events Calendar 10K+ · 4.5★ (108) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #20 3 too low 18

WooPayments: Integrated WooCommerce Payments 800K+ · 3.4★ (177) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #24 6 too low 19

Marquee Addons for Elementor – Essential Motion Widgets & Templates 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #14 5 too high 20

Taggbox: Social Media Feed Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #15 5 too high 21

YITH WooCommerce Gift Cards 10K+ · 3.3★ (53) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 22

Business Card Block – present your team and contact info in style 1K+ · 4.3★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #12 10 too high 23

Card Elements for WPBakery 500+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #5 18 too high 24

Tarot Card Oracle 100+ · 3.4★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #16 8 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.