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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “icon border”

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 “icon border”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

RIACO Icon Block shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 80+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 1680 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 The Icon Block 40K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #1 2 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Simple Social Icons 100K+ · 4.3★ (92) wp.org #4 5 Easy Social Icons 20K+ · 4.4★ (84) wp.org #5 6 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #9 ↓3 3 too low 7 WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144) wp.org #8 ↑4 1 too low 8 Buttonizer – Social Media Share Buttons, Social Icons, & Social Feeds 40K+ · 4.8★ (396) wp.org #12 ↓2 4 too low 9 Smooth Back To Top Button 40K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #7 ↓2 2 too high 10 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #16 ↑2 6 too low 11 All-in-one Sticky Floating Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, and 50+ Social Icon Tabs – My Sticky Elements 40K+ · 4.9★ (542) wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too low 12 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too low 13 Icon List Block – Add Icon-Based Lists with Custom Styles 4K+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #2 11 too high 14 Mailonix – Email Template Customizer for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (105) wp.org #21 ↑1 7 too low 15 WP-PageNavi 400K+ · 4.7★ (149) wp.org #23 ↓9 8 too low 16 JVM Rich Text Icons 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too high 17 Click to Chat – HoliThemes 600K+ · 4.8★ (131) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Button Generator – Easily Create Custom Buttons with Icons and Analytics 4K+ · 4.3★ (18) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 Safelayout Elegant Icons – WordPress icons 700+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #13 ↓2 6 too high 20 Download List Block with Icons 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 Responsive Vertical Icon Menu 700+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #19 3 too high 23 RIACO Icon Block 80+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓2 12 too high 24 Icon Indexa 500+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 4 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.