wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “feature boxes”
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 “feature boxes”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 4 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
Cards Layout – showcase content in responsive card grids shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 500+ 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
Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder (UABB) places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 332 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Cool Flipbox – Shortcode & Gutenberg Block 5K+ · 4.8★ (103)
wp.org #1 2 
Flipbox – Awesomes Flip Boxes Image Overlay 9K+ · 4.7★ (149)
wp.org #2 3 
Molongui Authorship – Author Boxes, Guest Authors & Co-Authors for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #3 4 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 
MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 ↓2 7 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too low 8 Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder (UABB) 20K+ · 5.0★ (332)
wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too low 9 
Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
Disable Gutenberg 500K+ · 5.0★ (735)
wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too low 11 
Better Click To Share – Shareable Quote Boxes for X (Twitter) 6K+ · 4.8★ (48)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too high 12 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 
Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ · 4.9★ (5925) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15 
Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266)
wp.org #19 ↑2 4 too low 16 
Firelight Lightbox 200K+ · 4.8★ (361)
wp.org #21 ↓2 5 too low 17 
Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219)
wp.org #22 ↓2 5 too low 18 
Meta Box – A Framework for Dynamic Websites 500K+ · 4.8★ (165)
wp.org #18 ↓1 19 
AffiliateX – Amazon Affiliate Plugin, Product Boxes, Comparison Tables & Affiliate Link Tracking 9K+ · 4.5★ (35)
wp.org #11 ↓1 8 too high 20 
CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes 200K+ · 4.7★ (326)
wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #23 ↓1 2 too low 22 
Conditional Fields for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.8★ (166) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too high 23 
Special Text Boxes 1K+ · 3.4★ (21) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 14 too high 24 Cards Layout – showcase content in responsive card grids 500+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #8 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.