Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “github embed”

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 “github embed”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

Embed Optimizer shows at wp.org #5 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 50K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner places #7 on merit, 4.7★ from 1667 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 G Github Embed 1K+ · 3.9★ (14) wp.org #1 2 Embed PDF Viewer 20K+ · 4.7★ (19) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #9 6 too low 4 Embed Privacy 10K+ · 4.9★ (26) wp.org #4 ↓2 5 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 HTML5 Video Player – embed fast, responsive videos with ease 20K+ · 4.6★ (195) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too low 7 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #16 ↑6 9 too low 8 EmbedPress 100K+ · 4.8★ (307) wp.org #13 5 too low 9 Code Embed 10K+ · 4.4★ (45) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 WP Social Ninja – Embed Social Feeds, User Reviews & Chat Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #17 ↑3 7 too low 11 Document Viewer – let visitors view files right in the browser 2K+ · 4.7★ (52) wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 Embed Block for GitHub 400+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #3 ↑1 9 too high 13 Embed Lottie Player – bring your pages to life with animation 4K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 Embeds for YouTube 9K+ · 4.2★ (24) wp.org #20 ↓2 6 too low 15 Hydrogen Calendar Embeds 1K+ · 4.5★ (6) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 Video Player for YouTube – Embed Videos Your Visitors Will Love to Watch 1K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #18 ↓2 2 too low 17 PDF Embed Block – share documents right inside your posts 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 Flipbook PDF Viewer & Embedder 300+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #22 ↓7 4 too low 19 Embed Optimizer 50K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #5 14 too high 20 Document Embedder Addons for Elementor – Embed Documents in Elementor Websites 6K+ · 3.7★ (7) wp.org #19 ↓2 1 too high 21 Twice Commerce – Easy Rental Booking System 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓2 22 Embed Repo for GitHub – showcase your open source projects 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↓2 8 too high 23 Init Embed Posts – Stylish, Fast, Portable 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓3 1 too low 24 Organizers Embed – Action Network for WordPress 400+ · 5.0★ (2) 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.