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

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 “gird”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 18. 6 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

Latest Posts Block – Dynamic Posts Grid, Posts List, Posts Tile with Stunning Layouts for WordPress Blogs & Pages shows at wp.org #2 but places #6 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Mega Menu places #5 on merit, 4.4★ from 219 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #1 2

Xpro Theme Builder For Elementor – FREE 20K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #4 2 too low 3

Team Showcase 1K+ · 4.0★ (53) wp.org #6 3 too low 4

BlogLentor – Blog Designer Pack for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #5 1 too low 5

WP Mega Menu 8K+ · 4.4★ (219) closure risk wp.org #15 10 too low 6

Latest Posts Block – Dynamic Posts Grid, Posts List, Posts Tile with Stunning Layouts for WordPress Blogs & Pages 6K+ · 4.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #2 4 too high 7

Post Grid Free 60+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviewslow rating, top placement wp.org #3 4 too high 8 T TWI Woocommerce Grid/Slider/Carousel Lite 10+ · 4.3★ (6) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #13 5 too low 9

Advanced WpBakery Page Builder Addons 100+ · 5.0★ (3) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #10 1 too low 10

RS Logo Showcase 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #7 3 too high 11

Blocks Grid Builder For Bootstrap 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #9 2 too high 12

Gutenberg Blocks and Page Layouts – Attire Blocks 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #8 4 too high 13

Customizer Toolkits — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #11 2 too high 14

Perfecto Portfolio 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #12 2 too high 15

Wooaddons For Elementor 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #14 1 too high 16

Gallery One 40+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #16 17

Give Donation Grid Addon — · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews wp.org #18 1 too low 18

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.