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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “expandable text”

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 “expandable text”, we agree with wp.org 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

Subpage as Expandable Text Shortcode shows at wp.org #6 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 80+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Unlimited Elements for Elementor places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #1 2 Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ · 4.9★ (5925) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too low 3 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #3 ↑2 4 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Ultimate Blocks – 25+ Gutenberg Blocks for Block Editor 50K+ · 4.9★ (729) wp.org #18 13 too low 6 Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #10 4 too low 7 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #21 ↑1 14 too low 8 Simple Custom CSS and JS 600K+ · 4.4★ (104) wp.org #12 ↑3 4 too low 9 SOOZ – AI for SEO – Bulk Generate Focus Keyphrases, Metadata, Alt Text (SEO Autopilot) 2K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 Expandable Paywall 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #2 8 too high 11 Currency Converter Widget 2K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #20 ↑1 9 too low 12 Fusion Page Builder 3K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 Advanced Accordion Gutenberg Block – Create Beautiful FAQs, Content Accordions & Interactive Tabs 9K+ · 4.1★ (34) wp.org #14 ↓2 1 too low 14 Super Testimonial – Testimonial & Customer Review Slider Plugin for WordPress 2K+ · 4.7★ (26) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 Marquee Addons for Elementor – Essential Motion Widgets & Templates 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 Floating Contact Button for MAX and Telegram 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17 Timeline Module for Beaver Builder 2K+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #17 18 Subpage as Expandable Text Shortcode 80+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 ↑1 12 too high 19 R Ramesh Expandable Text Toggle for Elementor 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↓1 12 too high 20 Alerts for Beaver Builder 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↓2 2 too low 21 Cards for Beaver Builder 1K+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Order List Table Elementor Widget for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Expandable Dashboard Recent Comments 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 24 Accordion – Organize Content into Clean Collapsible Sections 600+ · 3.5★ (2) wp.org #13 11 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.