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

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 “columns”, 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

Dashboard Columns shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 1K+ 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

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 4132 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 100K+ · 4.9★ (1652) wp.org #1 2 Equal Height Columns 10K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 Admin Columns for ACF Fields 9K+ · 4.9★ (20) wp.org #3 4 Make Column Clickable for Elementor 100K+ · 4.9★ (53) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #13 ↑4 7 too low 7 WPC Admin Columns 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (107) wp.org #16 ↓2 8 too low 9 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #21 ↓5 12 too low 10 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #23 ↓4 13 too low 11 Multiple Columns for Gravity Forms 10K+ · 4.5★ (30) wp.org #8 ↓2 3 too high 12 Admin Slug Column 5K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #15 ↓3 3 too low 13 Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #24 ↓1 11 too low 14 Block Editor: Reverse Columns on Mobile 700+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #9 ↓2 5 too high 15 Add Featured Image Column 3K+ · 4.9★ (13) wp.org #18 ↓5 3 too low 16 N Ni WooCommerce Admin Order Columns 500+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #11 ↓3 5 too high 17 Make Section & Column Clickable For Elementor 10K+ · 4.8★ (11) wp.org #14 ↓3 3 too high 18 Featured Image Column 2K+ · 4.5★ (12) wp.org #22 ↓2 4 too low 19 Manage User Columns 1K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #6 ↓2 13 too high 20 Genesis Widget Column Classes 5K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 Dashboard Columns 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 ↓2 14 too high 22 Users Registration Date – Sortable Users Column 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too high 23 Slug Search and Admin Columns 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓2 11 too high 24 Advanced Columns Block: Layout builder 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓4 5 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.