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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “fancybox 3”

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 “fancybox 3”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 5 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

FV Player 8 shows at wp.org #4 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Maps Widget for Google Maps places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 512 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 FancyBox for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (92) wp.org #1 2 Firelight Lightbox 200K+ · 4.8★ (361) wp.org #2 3 Responsive Lightbox & Gallery 100K+ · 4.9★ (2003) wp.org #3 4 Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 Gallery by Visual Portfolio 60K+ · 4.8★ (340) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too low 6 I Insert Pages 30K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #16 ↑4 9 too low 8 ARI Fancy Lightbox – Popup for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (71) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too low 9 Portfolio Filter Gallery – Photo Gallery 20K+ · 4.8★ (348) wp.org #20 ↑2 11 too low 10 Gallery – Photo Albums Plugin 2K+ · 3.8★ (277) wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11 Maps Widget for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (512) wp.org #23 ↑1 12 too low 12 AI-Powered Carousel, Slider, Video & Photo Gallery Blocks by WP Carousel 60K+ · 4.7★ (434) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 Product Gallery Slider, Additional Variation Images, Product Video, Product Image Zoom and Lightbox for WooCommerce – Reno Product Gallery (formerly WooGallery) 20K+ · 4.9★ (162) wp.org #17 4 too low 14 fancyBox 3 for WordPress 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #9 ↑1 5 too high 15 Geo2 Maps Add-on for NextGEN Gallery 70+ · 3.3★ (12) wp.org #6 ↓1 9 too high 16 QuadLayers TikTok Feed 7K+ · 3.9★ (61) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 All In One Lightbox – show any media in beautiful popups 3K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #15 ↓3 2 too high 18 Essential Classy Addons for Elementor – 150+ Widgets, Templates & Performance Tools 400+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #22 ↑1 4 too low 19 Product Image and Video Gallery Slider for WooCommerce 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 11 too high 20 Products Quick View for WooCommerce 90+ · 2.8★ (17) wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too high 21 FV Player 8 1K+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #4 17 too high 22 My Social Feeds – bring your social content into WordPress 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑2 11 too high 23 Gallery for Google Photos – share your albums right on your site 1K+ · 2.7★ (6) wp.org #14 ↑1 9 too high 24 Grid Masonry for Guten blocks 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↑2 5 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.