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

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 “coverflow”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Parallax Section Block – Add Parallax Scrolling Effects to Sections shows at wp.org #6 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Gallery by Visual Portfolio places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 340 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 AI-Powered Carousel, Slider, Video & Photo Gallery Blocks by WP Carousel 60K+ · 4.7★ (434) wp.org #1 2 MP3 Audio Player – Music Player, Podcast Player & Radio by Sonaar 20K+ · 4.8★ (302) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too low 3 Divi Torque Lite 50K+ · 4.7★ (116) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5 GSlider Blocks 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #2 ↑5 3 too high 6 Video Gallery – YouTube Gallery, Playlist & Video Grid 2K+ · 4.9★ (128) wp.org #8 ↓2 2 too low 7 Slider, Image Slider & Carousel by Slider Factory – Responsive Slideshow, Video Slider 2K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #3 ↓2 4 too high 8 Gallery by Visual Portfolio 50K+ · 4.8★ (340) wp.org #18 ↓1 10 too low 9 Photo Gallery by Re Gallery: Responsive Image Gallery with AI SEO 700+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #10 ↑5 1 too low 10 GutSlider – All in One Slider and Carousel Blocks for Gutenberg 6K+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too high 11 Product Carousel Slider & Grid Ultimate for WooCommerce 6K+ · 4.3★ (33) wp.org #12 1 too low 12 Logo Slider WP – Responsive Logo Carousel, Logo Gallery & Logo Showcase 10K+ · 4.5★ (61) wp.org #20 ↓11 8 too low 13 Parallax Section Block – Add Parallax Scrolling Effects to Sections 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #6 ↓4 7 too high 14 Gutenslider — Slider Block for the Block Editor 10K+ · 4.0★ (65) wp.org #21 7 too low 15 Divi Carousel Lite – Responsive Carousel & Slider Modules for Divi Builder 6K+ · 4.0★ (20) wp.org #14 ↓2 1 too high 16 TP WooCommerce Product Gallery 1K+ · 3.8★ (26) wp.org #22 ↓4 6 too low 17 Carousel Block – Showcase Images in Elegant Sliding Displays 7K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #13 ↓2 4 too high 18 Content Slider Block – Bring your content to life with slides 3K+ · 3.2★ (5) wp.org #11 ↑8 7 too high 19 Swipe Slider – Make dynamic slider with solid, gradient, or image background 3K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too high 20 Product Image and Video Gallery Slider for WooCommerce 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓3 3 too high 21 A Anviam 3D Coverflow Slider — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓6 5 too high 22 Touch Slider for Elementor 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓3 3 too high 23 Custom Swiper Slider for Elementor 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓3 24 SlideCraft – Responsive Slider & Carousel 80+ · 1.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓3

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.