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

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 “dribbble”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Socicon shows at wp.org #12 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Team Members – A WordPress Team Plugin with Gallery, Grid, Carousel, Slider, Table, List, and More places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 91 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 signals wp.org

Under Construction 600K+ · 4.8★ (1285) wp.org #1 2

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #2 3

Gallery by Visual Portfolio 60K+ · 4.8★ (340) wp.org #3 4

All-in-one Sticky Floating Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, and 50+ Social Icon Tabs – My Sticky Elements 40K+ · 4.9★ (542) wp.org #7 3 too low 5

Social Login, Social Sharing by miniOrange 10K+ · 4.6★ (356) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #5 6

Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter 70K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #8 2 too low 7

WP Socializer – Simple & Easy Social Media Share Icons 10K+ · 4.5★ (128) wp.org #11 3 too low 9

WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144) wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10

Flow-Flow Social Streams 7K+ · 3.3★ (100) wp.org #10 11

Team Members – A WordPress Team Plugin with Gallery, Grid, Carousel, Slider, Table, List, and More 2K+ · 4.7★ (91) wp.org #20 9 too low 12

Solid Testimonials – Testimonial Slider, Video Testimonials & Customer Reviews 1K+ · 4.3★ (35) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 3 too high 13

Social Divi 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #6 7 too high 14

GS Books Showcase – Display Books in Grid, Slider & More | Library for WordPress 500+ · 4.8★ (42) wp.org #22 8 too low 15

WPKoi Templates for Elementor 5K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #16 1 too low 16

Graphina – Charts and Graphs For Elementor 9K+ · 4.1★ (16) thin reviews wp.org #15 1 too high 17

WP Social Widget 4K+ · 4.7★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #17 18

KiviCare – Clinic & Patient Management System (EHR) 1K+ · 3.6★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #18 19

Superb Social Media Share Buttons and Follow Buttons 6K+ · 4.4★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #19 20

Meks Smart Social Widget 10K+ · 4.6★ (10) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #23 3 too low 21

Socicon 200+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↑1 9 too high 22

Candy Social Widget 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #14 8 too high 23

Social Media Shortcodes 40+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #21 2 too high 24

WDV About Me Widget 800+ · 4.5★ (2) thin reviews 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.