Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom block pattern”

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 “custom block pattern”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

VK Block Patterns shows at wp.org #2 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 100K+ 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

BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 160 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (59) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Twentig Supercharged Block Editor – Blocks, Patterns, Starter Sites, Portfolio 20K+ · 4.9★ (171) wp.org #16 ↓2 8 too low 9 SVG Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 BBQ Firewall – Fast & Powerful Firewall Security 100K+ · 4.9★ (160) wp.org #20 10 too low 11 Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 GutenKit – Page Builder Blocks, Patterns, and Templates for Gutenberg Block Editor 80K+ · 4.5★ (48) wp.org #12 13 Custom Block Patterns 1K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #3 10 too high 14 Custom Block Builder – Lazy Blocks 20K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #21 ↑1 7 too low 15 Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) wp.org #15 ↑2 16 Superb Addons: Blocks, Patterns, Pre-built Pages, Sliders, Popups, Free Forms, Animations & More 80K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too high 17 VK Block Patterns 100K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 ↓1 15 too high 18 Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #19 ↓3 1 too low 19 Block Manager 4K+ · 4.9★ (13) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too high 20 Responsive Blocks – Page Builder for Blocks & Patterns 3K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too high 21 Block Editor Colors 3K+ · 4.8★ (13) wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too low 22 Pattern Wrangler – Manage Block Patterns and Pattern Categories 400+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #11 11 too high 23 MyWP Block Pattern – Block Pattern Builder for WordPress 300+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 Gmap Block 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24

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.