wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “height and width”
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 “height and width”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Full Width Banner Slider Wp shows at wp.org #2 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 22 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 1077 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.
Equal Height Columns 10K+ · 4.9★ (41)
wp.org #1 2 
Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Ultimate Before After Image Slider & Gallery – BEAF 30K+ · 4.9★ (107)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ · 4.6★ (743)
wp.org #8 4 too low 5 I iframe 60K+ · 4.4★ (56)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140)
wp.org #10 4 too low 7 
Drag and Drop Multiple File Upload for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (94)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
WP Video Lightbox 30K+ · 4.3★ (67)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer 200K+ · 4.8★ (1077)
wp.org #15 6 too low 10 
My WordPress Login Logo 10K+ · 4.9★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #5 5 too high 11 
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358)
wp.org #17 6 too low 12 
Gravity Booster – Styles & Layouts for Gravity Forms 30K+ · 4.6★ (199)
wp.org #14 2 too low 13 
Resize Image After Upload 80K+ · 4.8★ (56)
wp.org #13 14 
Carousel Slider 30K+ · 4.3★ (160)
wp.org #16 2 too low 15 
Terms and Conditions Popup for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (28)
wp.org #11 4 too high 16 
Image Watermark 40K+ · 4.2★ (298)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Advanced iFrame 40K+ · 4.4★ (54)
wp.org #20 2 too low 19 
Conditional Shipping for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 
YITH WooCommerce Quick View 80K+ · 3.8★ (27)
wp.org #19 1 too high 21 
Kama Thumbnail 8K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #21 22 
User IP and Location 3K+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #12 10 too high 23 
Organization chart 5K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 Full Width Banner Slider Wp 2K+ · 3.5★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #2 22 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.