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

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 “embed block”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Embed Optimizer shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 50K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy places #5 on merit, 5.0★ from 4625 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Embed YouTube Block – Fast Loading Videos, Shorts & Playlists 6K+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Embed Plus for YouTube Gallery, Livestream and Lazy Loading with Facades 100K+ · 4.6★ (572) wp.org #9 ↑1 7 too low 3 Embed PDF Viewer 20K+ · 4.7★ (19) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 PDF Embed Block – share documents right inside your posts 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #1 3 too high 5 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #22 ↓1 17 too low 6 SVG Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #6 ↑2 7 Embed Any Document – Embed PDF, Word, PowerPoint and Excel Files 50K+ · 4.2★ (92) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #15 7 too low 9 Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 Embed Privacy 10K+ · 4.9★ (26) wp.org #12 ↓6 2 too low 11 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #24 13 too low 12 Pdf Embed 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #7 5 too high 13 Embed Block for TikTok 500+ · 4.5★ (2) wp.org #3 10 too high 14 Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) wp.org #21 ↓1 7 too low 15 Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #20 ↓7 5 too low 16 Code Embed 10K+ · 4.4★ (45) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Block Manager 4K+ · 4.9★ (13) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too low 18 Embed Block for GitHub 400+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #5 13 too high 19 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Better Block Editor (BBE) 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #23 3 too low 21 Gmap Block 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 CodePen Embed Block 600+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↑1 11 too high 23 Rutube Embed 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24 Embed Optimizer 50K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #8 ↑1 16 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.