wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “display github”
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 “display github”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Carousel Block – Showcase Images in Elegant Sliding Displays shows at wp.org #9 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 7K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1680 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.
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 
VK Post Author Display 10K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #1 3 too high 5 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #7 ↑7 1 too high 9 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #20 ↑3 11 too low 10 
Product Sort and Display for WooCommerce 2K+ · 3.1★ (45) low rating, top placement
wp.org #5 ↓1 5 too high 11 
PublishPress Tag Groups: Stylish Displays For Your Tags and Categories 3K+ · 4.8★ (57)
wp.org #12 1 too low 12 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #18 6 too low 13 
Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114)
wp.org #23 ↓2 10 too low 14 
SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356)
wp.org #21 ↓4 7 too low 15 
Antispam Bee 700K+ · 4.8★ (226)
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 
WP Plugin Info Card – Showcase Beautiful Plugin, Theme, and GitHub Cards Anywhere 400+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #16 17 
Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too high 18 
Advanced Views – Display Framework – Gutenberg/Elementor/Shortcode 3K+ · 4.8★ (36)
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too high 20 Carousel Block – Showcase Images in Elegant Sliding Displays 7K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 11 too high 21 
Affiliate Coupons – Coupon Display Manager – Excellent Tool for Affiliate Marketers 1K+ · 4.5★ (36)
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Display Post Metadata 400+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓2 9 too high 23 
Display Event Location for The Events Calendar 90+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 9 too high 24 
Display Server Info 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓2 7 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.