wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “iframe preview”
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 “iframe preview”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 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
ICWT Responsive Device Preview shows at wp.org #5 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 70+ 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
Real Cookie Banner: GDPR & ePrivacy Cookie Consent places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 492 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.
Visual Link Preview 10K+ · 4.5★ (36)
wp.org #1 2 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 
Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433)
wp.org #8 ↑2 5 too low 4 
LazyLoad Plugin – Lazy Load Images, Videos, and Iframes 100K+ · 4.2★ (139)
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
PDF Embedder – PDF Viewer & Embed PDF Files for WordPress 300K+ · 4.7★ (529)
wp.org #11 6 too low 6 
Custom iFrame – Embed PDFs, Videos, and External Content in WordPress (Elementor & Gutenberg) 4K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #2 4 too high 7 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #14 ↑2 7 too low 8 
Easy Social Feed – All In One Social Feed Plugin for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (502)
wp.org #20 12 too low 9 Real Cookie Banner: GDPR & ePrivacy Cookie Consent 100K+ · 4.9★ (492)
wp.org #22 13 too low 10 
Popup Box – Create Countdown, Coupon, Video, Contact Form Popups 50K+ · 4.6★ (82)
wp.org #15 5 too low 11 
Call Now Button – The Free Click to Call Button for WordPress 200K+ · 4.8★ (102)
wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too low 12 
Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #23 ↓5 11 too low 13 
Advanced Responsive Video Embedder for Rumble, Odysee, YouTube, Vimeo, Kick … 20K+ · 4.2★ (169)
wp.org #17 ↑2 4 too low 14 
Get Use APIs – JSON Content Importer 5K+ · 4.9★ (78)
wp.org #18 ↓4 4 too low 15 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #19 ↑2 4 too low 16 
File Manager 10K+ · 4.3★ (202)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
iPanorama 360 – Advanced Virtual Tour Builder 4K+ · 4.5★ (31)
wp.org #13 4 too high 18 
Smart LazyLoad – Lazy Load Images, Videos and Iframes 400+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #7 11 too high 19 
Activity Link Preview For BuddyPress 100+ · 4.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #6 13 too high 20 
Gallery Box 1K+ · 4.1★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑2 1 too low 21 
Preview Link Generator 100+ · 4.5★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 11 too high 22 ICWT Responsive Device Preview 70+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #5 17 too high 23 
Audio Preview for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #12 11 too high 24 
Mini Live Preview URL 20+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
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.