Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 list”, we and wp.org disagree 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 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

SVG Icon Block shows at wp.org #9 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 5333 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. 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 #2 1 too low 2 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244) wp.org #8 ↑6 5 too low 4 VS Event List 8K+ · 4.9★ (82) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Icon List Block – Add Icon-Based Lists with Custom Styles 4K+ · 3.7★ (6) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333) wp.org #14 ↓7 6 too low 9 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #7 ↑9 2 too high 10 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #13 ↑5 3 too low 11 Social Share Icons & Social Share Buttons 10K+ · 4.9★ (1911) wp.org #15 ↓3 4 too low 12 WP Menu Icons 20K+ · 4.9★ (139) wp.org #16 ↓3 4 too low 13 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 JS Archive List 3K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 Ultimate Post List 2K+ · 4.6★ (13) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 Download List Block with Icons 400+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too high 17 Contact List – Online Staff Directory & Address Book 1K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #17 18 Authors List 5K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 Safelayout Elegant Icons – WordPress icons 700+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #11 ↓1 8 too high 20 Fuse Social Icons 10K+ · 4.6★ (58) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Dashboard To-Do List 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #18 ↑2 3 too high 22 Social Media Icon Widget – Social Profile Links with Gutenberg Block 4K+ · 4.1★ (16) wp.org #20 ↑3 2 too high 23 Stock Quotes List 500+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #23 24 SVG Icon Block 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↓1 15 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.