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

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 “fse”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

BlockFlow – FSE Blocks, Site Builder & Starter Templates shows at wp.org #4 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 200+ 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

BetterDocs – AI Documentation, Knowledge Base, MCP Server, Docs, Wikis, FAQ & Chatbot places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 515 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #1 2 Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004) wp.org #2 3 Enable Abilities for MCP 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #3 4 No Gutenberg? – Choose Where to Use the Block Editor or the Classic Editor 9K+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 bbp style pack 6K+ · 4.9★ (100) wp.org #10 ↑2 5 too low 6 Query Monitor 200K+ · 4.9★ (470) wp.org #15 ↓5 9 too low 7 Gutenberg 400K+ · 2.1★ (3888) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 Gutenverse – WordPress Blocks, Page Builder & Site Editor 20K+ · 4.9★ (190) wp.org #13 5 too low 9 Custom Fonts – Host Your Fonts Locally 400K+ · 4.3★ (62) wp.org #9 ↑5 10 BetterDocs – AI Documentation, Knowledge Base, MCP Server, Docs, Wikis, FAQ & Chatbot 30K+ · 4.8★ (515) wp.org #20 ↓9 10 too low 11 Greenshift – animation and page builder blocks 70K+ · 4.8★ (107) wp.org #12 ↑3 1 too low 12 Getwid – Gutenberg Blocks 50K+ · 4.7★ (115) wp.org #22 10 too low 13 Splide Carousel Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too high 14 Superb Addons: Blocks, Patterns, Pre-built Pages, Sliders, Popups, Free Forms, Animations & More 80K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #17 ↑5 3 too low 15 SVG Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #14 ↑2 1 too high 16 Video Popup Block – YouTube, Vimeo, TikTok Lightbox by WPZOOM 10K+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 JS Categories List Widget 1K+ · 4.8★ (15) wp.org #19 ↑2 2 too low 18 Embed YouTube Block – Fast Loading Videos, Shorts & Playlists 6K+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #21 ↑3 3 too low 19 BlockFlow – FSE Blocks, Site Builder & Starter Templates 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 15 too high 20 Ansar Import – One Click Starter Sites – for WordPress Themes 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↓1 13 too high 21 VK Dynamic If Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↑3 5 too high 22 Flexa Block – Blocks & Page Builder 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↑2 4 too high 23 ZIP AI – AI Website Builder & AI Agent 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 24 R Restore Customizer Menu for FSE Themes 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.