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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “frames”

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 “frames”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

WP GIF Uploader – Animated GIF Upload and Thumbnails shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Video Gallery – YouTube Playlist, Channel Gallery by YotuWP places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 322 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Really Simple Security – Simple and Performant Security (formerly Really Simple SSL) 3M+ · 4.9★ (8869) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 Qi Addons For Elementor 200K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5 ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #6 ↑4 1 too low 6 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too low 7 WP Force SSL & HTTPS SSL Redirect 80K+ · 4.7★ (179) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 HTTP Headers 40K+ · 4.3★ (70) wp.org #8 ↓1 9 Video Gallery – YouTube Playlist, Channel Gallery by YotuWP 10K+ · 4.7★ (322) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 Headers Security Advanced & HSTS WP 90K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #15 ↑1 5 too low 11 FancyBox for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (92) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too low 12 Timetable and Event Schedule by MotoPress 30K+ · 4.3★ (69) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 Social Profile Frame Generator – Custom Social Media Frames Creator 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #3 ↓2 10 too high 14 I iframe 60K+ · 4.4★ (56) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 WP Anti-Clickjack 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 11 too high 16 360 Javascript Viewer 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Video Gallery for WooCommerce – Add Product Video & Featured Video 4K+ · 5.0★ (44) wp.org #20 3 too low 18 QuickWebP – WebP & AVIF Image Optimizer, Compression & SEO for WordPress 8K+ · 4.8★ (20) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Easy Image Collage 3K+ · 4.7★ (22) wp.org #24 5 too low 20 Qi Blocks 60K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #11 9 too high 21 UiChemy – Convert Figma, Prompts and AI Builds to Elementor, Gutenberg and Bricks 8K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Scrollsequence – Cinematic Scroll Image Animation Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (19) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 Custom iFrame – Embed PDFs, Videos, and External Content in WordPress (Elementor & Gutenberg) 4K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 WP GIF Uploader – Animated GIF Upload and Thumbnails 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 12 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.