wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “google maps iframe”
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 “google maps iframe”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20.
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
exovia GDPR Google Maps shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
LiteSpeed Cache places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 2778 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Go Maps – Google Map, OpenStreetMap, Leaflet Map 300K+ · 4.8★ (3055) not PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
MapPress – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap & Leaflet 30K+ · 4.7★ (147)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 I iframe 60K+ · 4.4★ (56)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 
API KEY for Google Maps 30K+ · 4.9★ (55)
wp.org #6 ↓2 7 
Advanced iFrame 40K+ · 4.4★ (54)
wp.org #7 ↓1 8 
Maps Plugin using Google Maps for WordPress – WP Google Map 10K+ · 4.8★ (172)
wp.org #15 7 too low 9 
Simple Shortcode for Google Maps 3K+ · 4.6★ (46)
wp.org #9 ↓1 10 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #19 9 too low 11 
Firelight Lightbox 200K+ · 4.8★ (361)
wp.org #18 7 too low 12 
Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54) heavy footprint
wp.org #12 ↑1 13 
Cookiebot – Cookie Banner & Cookie Consent for GDPR, CCPA & Google Consent Mode 100K+ · 4.4★ (440)
wp.org #22 ↓2 9 too low 14 
Map Block for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too high 15 
MapGeo – Interactive Geo Maps 30K+ · 4.4★ (65)
wp.org #14 ↓2 1 too high 16 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) heavy footprint
wp.org #21 ↓2 5 too low 17 exovia GDPR Google Maps 4K+ · 4.6★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 9 too high 18 
EmbedPress 100K+ · 4.8★ (307) not PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓7 5 too low 19 
Very Simple Google Maps 3K+ · 4.5★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓2 8 too high 20 
AWEOS Google Maps iframe load per click 3K+ · 4.7★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too high 21 
Snazzy Maps 30K+ · 4.2★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too high 22 
Custom iFrame – Embed PDFs, Videos, and External Content in WordPress (Elementor & Gutenberg) 4K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓3 9 too high 23 
GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget 900+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
GDPR-DSGVO compliant Embeds for Google Maps 100+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓2 7 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.