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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “column separator”

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 “column separator”, 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

Column Separator for Beaver Builder shows at wp.org #1 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Addon Elements for Elementor (formerly Elementor Addon Elements) places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 172 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Admin Columns for ACF Fields 9K+ · 4.9★ (20) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Perfect Brands for WooCommerce 40K+ · 4.7★ (414) wp.org #6 4 too low 3 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #7 ↑2 4 too low 4 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #10 ↑3 6 too low 5 Stackable – Page Builder Gutenberg Blocks 100K+ · 4.9★ (522) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too low 6 Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474) wp.org #12 ↑3 6 too low 7 Timeline Module for Beaver Builder 2K+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #13 ↓2 5 too low 9 Twentig Supercharged Block Editor – Blocks, Patterns, Starter Sites, Portfolio 20K+ · 4.9★ (171) wp.org #15 ↓5 6 too low 10 SureForms – Contact Form Builder, AI Forms, Payment Form, Survey & Quiz 500K+ · 4.8★ (102) wp.org #17 7 too low 11 Addon Elements for Elementor (formerly Elementor Addon Elements) 80K+ · 4.8★ (172) wp.org #23 12 too low 12 Header Footer for Beaver Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #14 ↑2 2 too low 13 Timed Content For Beaver Builder 900+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #4 9 too high 14 Page Builder Gutenberg Blocks – CoBlocks 300K+ · 4.2★ (109) wp.org #16 ↑2 2 too low 15 Column Separator for Beaver Builder 400+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #1 14 too high 16 PublishPress Tag Groups: Stylish Displays For Your Tags and Categories 3K+ · 4.8★ (57) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 Easy Bootstrap Shortcode 6K+ · 4.0★ (50) wp.org #21 ↑1 4 too low 18 Cards for Beaver Builder 1K+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #5 13 too high 19 WP Simple HTML Sitemap 3K+ · 4.9★ (10) wp.org #11 ↑1 8 too high 20 Export Products, Orders & Customers for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.6★ (14) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 User Login History 10K+ · 4.6★ (29) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Alerts for Beaver Builder 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 ↓1 14 too high 23 SysBasics Customize My Account for WooCommerce – Live My Account Customizer 7K+ · 4.2★ (33) wp.org #19 ↑2 4 too high 24 WPZOOM Addons for Beaver Builder 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑1 6 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.