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

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 “collection”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 6 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

Section Collection – Add Ready-made Sections to Design Modern Websites shows at wp.org #5 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 400+ 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

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 2051 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

Starter Sites & Templates by Neve 100K+ · 4.7★ (77) heavy footprint wp.org #1 ↑1 2

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #3 ↑4 1 too low 3

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current wp.org #2 ↑2 1 too high 4

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #4 ↓3 5

WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too low 7

GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8

PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too low 9

Security Optimizer – The All-In-One Protection Plugin 1M+ · 4.5★ (157) wp.org #8 ↑2 1 too high 10

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #14 ↑4 4 too low 11

Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ · 4.9★ (5925) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 6 too low 12

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #22 ↓1 10 too low 13

SimpLy Gallery 40K+ · 4.8★ (118) wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too low 14

Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703) wp.org #23 9 too low 15

WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68) wp.org #21 6 too low 16

Performance Lab 100K+ · 4.3★ (51) wp.org #19 2 too low 18

Icegram Collect – Easy Contact Form, Subscription Form & Lead Collection Plugin for WordPress 2K+ · 4.7★ (30) wp.org #20 ↓9 2 too low 19

Custom Fonts – Host Your Fonts Locally 400K+ · 4.3★ (62) wp.org #24 ↓4 5 too low 20

Lead Form Data Collection to CRM 400+ · 4.0★ (46) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 ↑1 5 too high 21

bBlocks – Essential Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns Collection 700+ · 5.0★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #10 ↓1 11 too high 22

Snow Monkey Blocks 30K+ · 4.4★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too high 23

Section Collection – Add Ready-made Sections to Design Modern Websites 400+ · 5.0★ (1) heavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #5 ↓2 18 too high 24

WPC Smart Product Collections for WooCommerce 200+ · 3.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #12 ↑2 12 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.