wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “image 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 “image list”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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 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
Icon List Block – Add Icon-Based Lists with Custom Styles shows at wp.org #15 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
EWWW Image Optimizer 1M+ · 4.8★ (1842)
wp.org #1 2 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89)
wp.org #2 3 
ShortPixel Image Optimizer – Optimize Images, Convert WebP & AVIF 300K+ · 4.5★ (830)
wp.org #3 4 
Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053)
wp.org #4 ↑3 5 
Featured Image from URL (FIFU) 60K+ · 4.6★ (264)
wp.org #5 6 
Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ · 4.6★ (743)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #10 ↑3 3 too low 8 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #8 9 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10 
VS Event List 8K+ · 4.9★ (82)
wp.org #9 ↓5 1 too high 11 
W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94)
wp.org #11 ↓1 12 
reSmush.it : The original free image compressor and optimizer plugin 100K+ · 4.3★ (166)
wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too low 13 
Auto Image Attributes From Filename With Bulk Updater (Add Alt Text, Image Title For Image SEO) 100K+ · 4.8★ (93)
wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too low 14 
List categories 5K+ · 4.5★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 7 too high 15 
Default Featured Image 50K+ · 4.8★ (69)
wp.org #16 1 too low 16 
Image Hover Effects Ultimate ( Image Gallery, Effects, Lightbox, Comparison & Magnifier ) 10K+ · 4.7★ (250)
wp.org #23 ↑1 7 too low 17 
Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Simple Image Sizes 60K+ · 4.6★ (91)
wp.org #17 1 too high 19 
FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) not PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓3 5 too low 20 
Product Customer List for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.9★ (75)
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
Image Alt Text 10K+ · 5.0★ (56)
wp.org #21 ↓9 22 
ThumbPress – Compress Images, Manage Thumbnails, Detect Image Issues, WebP/AVIF, Lazy Loading, Hotlinking & More 20K+ · 3.7★ (117)
wp.org #19 3 too high 23 
Ultimate Post List 2K+ · 4.6★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 Icon List Block – Add Icon-Based Lists with Custom Styles 4K+ · 3.7★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓6 9 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.