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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “html box”

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 “html box”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 7 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

Always Edit In HTML shows at wp.org #11 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

The Events Calendar places #11 on merit, 4.2★ from 2461 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Meta Box – A Framework for Dynamic Websites 500K+ · 4.8★ (165) wp.org #1 2 HTML Forms – Simple WordPress Forms Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (57) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Simple Author Box 90K+ · 4.3★ (115) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #4 5 HTML Editor Syntax Highlighter 60K+ · 4.4★ (110) wp.org #5 6 Popup Box – Create Countdown, Coupon, Video, Contact Form Popups 50K+ · 4.6★ (82) wp.org #6 7 TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too low 8 HTML Page Sitemap (Block and Shortcode) 10K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #20 11 too low 10 Noptin – Newsletter, New Post Notifications & Email Automation 10K+ · 4.5★ (120) wp.org #10 11 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #23 12 too low 12 Custom HTML Block Extension 7K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 Kwayy HTML Sitemap 6K+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #8 8 too high 17 CSV to HTML 300+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 Coupzy Coupon Box for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.6★ (37) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Export WordPress Pages to Static HTML & PDF — Static Site Export 4K+ · 3.8★ (51) wp.org #18 1 too high 20 Always Edit In HTML 1K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #11 ↑1 9 too high 21 HTML Page Publisher 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 Modal Popup Box — Popup Maker & Popup Builder 2K+ · 3.5★ (10) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 Cool Author Box – For Widget and Post Content 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Alert Box Block – Grab Attention with Eye-Catching Notices 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 8 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.