wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “disable block editor”

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 “disable block editor”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Disable Block Editor FullScreen mode shows at wp.org #4 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Gutenverse – WordPress Blocks, Page Builder & Site Editor places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 190 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Classic Editor 8M+ · 4.9★ (1251) wp.org #1 2

Disable Gutenberg 500K+ · 5.0★ (735) wp.org #2 3

Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281) wp.org #3 ↑2 4

Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 400K+ · 4.9★ (1056) wp.org #7 3 too low 5

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6

Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #6 7

Classic Editor + 30K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #5 ↑3 2 too high 8

Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354) wp.org #9 ↓6 1 too low 9

Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) heavy footprint wp.org #10 ↑8 1 too low 10

The Icon Block 40K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #11 1 too low 11

Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (59) wp.org #14 ↓4 3 too low 12

Gutenverse – WordPress Blocks, Page Builder & Site Editor 20K+ · 4.9★ (190) heavy footprint wp.org #17 ↓2 5 too low 13

Lightbox for Gallery & Image Block 20K+ · 5.0★ (88) wp.org #18 ↓2 5 too low 14

Ultimate Blocks – 25+ Gutenberg Blocks for Block Editor 50K+ · 4.9★ (729) not PHP-current wp.org #22 8 too low 15

Disable Block Editor FullScreen mode 1K+ · 4.3★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #4 11 too high 16

Disable WP REST API 30K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #16 17

Widget Disable 10K+ · 4.8★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #24 7 too low 18

Disable Everything 30K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #12 6 too high 19

Disable WP Notification 10K+ · 4.3★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too high 20

Disable Embeds 10K+ · 4.3★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓1 21

SVG Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓1 22

Classic Editor and Classic Widgets 20K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too high 23

Disable Gutenberg 500+ · 5.0★ (1) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #13 10 too high 24

VK Block Patterns 100K+ · 5.0★ (2) host-installed base thin reviews wp.org #23 ↑1 1 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.