wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “embed youtube”
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 youtube”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Embed Optimizer shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 11 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
Video Gallery – YouTube Gallery, Playlist & Video Grid places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 128 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.
Embed Plus for YouTube Gallery, Livestream and Lazy Loading with Facades 100K+ · 4.6★ (572)
wp.org #1 2 
Video Gallery – YouTube Playlist, Channel Gallery by YotuWP 10K+ · 4.7★ (322)
wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too low 3 
Embed YouTube Block – Fast Loading Videos, Shorts & Playlists 6K+ · 5.0★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Feeds for YouTube (YouTube video, channel, and gallery plugin) 100K+ · 4.8★ (205)
wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 
WP YouTube Lyte 20K+ · 4.8★ (206)
wp.org #7 ↑2 2 too low 6 
Automatic YouTube Gallery – Embed Auto-Updating YouTube Video Galleries, Feeds, Playlists & Channels 9K+ · 4.8★ (31)
wp.org #4 2 too high 7 
EmbedPress 100K+ · 4.8★ (307) not PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓3 1 too low 8 
Simple YouTube Embed 4K+ · 4.2★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #3 5 too high 9 
All-in-One Video Gallery – Video Player & Galleries for YouTube, Vimeo & Self-Hosted Videos 20K+ · 4.8★ (136)
wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too low 10 
Embed Privacy 10K+ · 4.9★ (26)
wp.org #10 ↓2 11 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #17 ↑7 6 too low 12 Video Gallery – YouTube Gallery, Playlist & Video Grid 2K+ · 4.9★ (128)
wp.org #22 ↓1 10 too low 13 
Lite Video Embed 1K+ · 4.6★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too high 14 
Simple YouTube Responsive 3K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 
Pdf Embed 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #11 4 too high 16 
StreamWeasels YouTube Integration 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #13 3 too high 17 
Embeds for YouTube 9K+ · 4.2★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓4 3 too low 18 
Wonder Video Embed 4K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #14 4 too high 19 
Video Player for YouTube – Embed Videos Your Visitors Will Love to Watch 1K+ · 4.8★ (12) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 
DSGVO Youtube 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21 
Video Playlist for YouTube 1K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too high 22 
YEP: Optimize YouTube Embeds 70+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓2 2 too low 23 Embed Optimizer 50K+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #12 11 too high 24 
Faster YouTube Embed 100+ · 4.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓4 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.