Plugin Pulse
← Rankings

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

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 “fullwidth”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 2 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.

T

Ranked above its merit

Themify Store Locator shows at wp.org #4 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 400+ 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

Smart Slider 3 places #3 on merit, 4.9★ from 1124 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Fullwidth Templates for Any Theme & Page Builder 20K+ · 4.7★ (42) wp.org #1 2 Progress Bar 1K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1124) wp.org #17 14 too low 4 MxChat – AI Chatbot & Content Generation for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (30) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5 Groovy Menu Plugin (Free) 4K+ · 3.6★ (25) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 Block Editor Bootstrap Blocks 900+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Advanced WordPress Backgrounds 30K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #20 13 too low 8 Shortcodes and extra features for Phlox theme 80K+ · 2.1★ (7) wp.org #2 6 too high 9 Zeffy Donate Button 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Squad Modules Lite – Free Divi 5 & Divi 4 Modules for Divi Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #13 3 too low 11 GutenBee – Gutenberg Blocks 6K+ · 4.9★ (18) wp.org #24 13 too low 12 Better image sizes 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #12 13 Block Slider – Responsive Image Slider, Video Slider & Post Slider 3K+ · 3.2★ (26) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 RTMForm Builder 30K+ · 4.3★ (14) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 T Themify Store Locator 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #4 11 too high 16 Nasio Blocks 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 11 too high 17 Zozo Portfolio for Elementor 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 Page Builder Companion 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Billy 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 S StyloText Generator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 JHMG Converter For Divi to Elementor — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 Delowar Swipe Slider — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 L Luzuk Photo Gallery — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Filter Anything 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.