wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “easy social icon”
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 “easy social icon”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 3 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
Jetpack Social shows at wp.org #11 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 30K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.3★ average from 74 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333)
wp.org #1 2 
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4353)
wp.org #2 3 
Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (589)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Easy Social Icons 20K+ · 4.4★ (84)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
WPZOOM Connect: AI Chat, Click to Chat, Social Icons & Share Buttons 90K+ · 4.9★ (144)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
The Icon Block 40K+ · 5.0★ (29)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Simple Social Icons 100K+ · 4.3★ (92)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7307) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #8 9 
Social Share Icons & Social Share Buttons 10K+ · 4.9★ (1912) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 10 
Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter 80K+ · 4.6★ (67)
wp.org #10 ↑1 11 
Spotlight Social Feeds – Block, Shortcode, and Widget 60K+ · 4.7★ (171)
wp.org #14 ↑3 3 too low 12 
Easy Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (252)
wp.org #15 3 too low 13 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2043)
wp.org #19 6 too low 14 
Hubbub Lite – Fast, free social sharing and follow buttons 30K+ · 4.7★ (173)
wp.org #16 2 too low 15 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3151) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 2 too high 16 
Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446)
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
WP Social Ninja – Embed Social Feeds, User Reviews & Chat Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #17 ↓3 18 
Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #12 6 too high 19 
Jetpack – WP Security, Backup, Speed, & Growth 3M+ · 3.7★ (2407)
wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20 Jetpack Social 30K+ · 3.3★ (74)
wp.org #11 ↓1 9 too high 21 
Buttonizer – Social Media Share Buttons, Social Icons, & Social Feeds 40K+ · 4.8★ (396) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 1 too high 22 
WP Socializer – Simple & Easy Social Media Share Icons 10K+ · 4.5★ (128)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 
Easy Bootstrap Shortcode 6K+ · 4.0★ (50)
wp.org #18 6 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.