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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “gradient background”

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 “gradient background”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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.

Ranked above its merit

Section Builder with Backgrounds – Customize with Color, Gradient, Image and Parallax. shows at wp.org #2 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 1K+ 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

CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 326 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Custom Background Changer 1K+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #1 2 Advanced WordPress Backgrounds 30K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too low 3 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #6 ↑4 3 too low 4 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #10 ↓2 6 too low 5 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #9 ↑3 4 too low 6 Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode Page & Under Construction 10K+ · 4.8★ (317) wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too low 7 PowerPack Addons for Elementor: Widgets, Form Styler and Templates 70K+ · 4.8★ (361) wp.org #17 ↑2 10 too low 8 Super block slider – Image/video background & content slider 8K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 Slider Hero with Video Background, Animation 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too low 10 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #18 8 too low 11 CMP – Coming Soon & Maintenance Plugin by NiteoThemes 200K+ · 4.7★ (326) wp.org #22 11 too low 12 Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140) wp.org #20 8 too low 13 Video Background Block – Add Stunning Video Backgrounds to Any Section 2K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #4 ↓1 9 too high 14 Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212) wp.org #24 ↓8 10 too low 15 Auto Featured Image (Auto Post Thumbnail) 40K+ · 3.8★ (119) wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too high 16 Options for Twenty Seventeen 8K+ · 4.8★ (57) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too low 17 LoftLoader 70K+ · 4.5★ (33) wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too high 18 Read Meter – Reading Time & Progress Bar 10K+ · 4.5★ (19) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Greenshift – animation and page builder blocks 70K+ · 4.8★ (107) wp.org #23 ↓2 4 too low 20 Section Builder with Backgrounds – Customize with Color, Gradient, Image and Parallax. 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 18 too high 21 Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #21 ↑3 22 Swipe Slider – Make dynamic slider with solid, gradient, or image background 3K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 ↓1 17 too high 23 G Gradient Button for Elementor 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #12 ↓1 11 too high 24 LMSCrafter Gradient Text for Elementor 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 ↓1 16 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.