wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “image scroll”
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 scroll”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Scroll Down Arrow shows at wp.org #14 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 4132 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WPFront Scroll Top 200K+ · 4.9★ (142)
wp.org #1 2 
Page scroll to id 100K+ · 4.9★ (225)
wp.org #2 3 
Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053)
wp.org #3 4 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #4 5 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Catch Infinite Scroll 10K+ · 4.3★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #5 4 too high 10 
Image Hover Effects Ultimate ( Image Gallery, Effects, Lightbox, Comparison & Magnifier ) 10K+ · 4.7★ (250)
wp.org #15 5 too low 11 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #19 8 too low 12 
WP Image Zoom 10K+ · 4.3★ (119)
wp.org #12 13 
Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406)
wp.org #16 3 too low 14 
ThumbPress – Compress Images, Manage Thumbnails, Detect Image Issues, WebP/AVIF, Lazy Loading, Hotlinking & More 20K+ · 3.7★ (117)
wp.org #10 4 too high 15 
Image Hover Effects – Elementor Addon 40K+ · 4.9★ (83)
wp.org #17 2 too low 16 
Scrollsequence – Cinematic Scroll Image Animation Plugin 3K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #9 7 too high 17 
jQuery Smooth Scroll 10K+ · 4.5★ (47)
wp.org #13 4 too high 18 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
No Right Click Images 20K+ · 4.7★ (52)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Smooth Page Scroll Up/Down Buttons 2K+ · 5.0★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
Image Gallery 3K+ · 4.4★ (32)
wp.org #20 1 too high 22 
Simple Scroll To Top WP 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Scroll Down Arrow 900+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #14 9 too high 24 
Horizontal Slider with Scroll 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 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.