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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “info box”

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 “info box”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 2 plugins are 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

RS Author Info Box shows at wp.org #9 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 14 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

Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder (UABB) places #12 on merit, 5.0★ from 332 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Simple Author Box 90K+ · 4.3★ (115) wp.org #1 2 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #2 ↑2 3 CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 WP Last Modified Info 40K+ · 4.9★ (855) wp.org #7 ↓2 2 too low 6 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #5 ↑4 1 too high 7 Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #13 ↑2 5 too low 9 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too low 10 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #14 ↑2 4 too low 11 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #18 ↑6 7 too low 12 Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder (UABB) 20K+ · 5.0★ (332) wp.org #20 8 too low 13 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #24 ↓2 11 too low 14 Simple Ajax Chat – Add a Fast, Secure Chat Box 2K+ · 4.9★ (215) wp.org #19 ↑2 5 too low 15 Service Box – Icon Box Showcase 3K+ · 4.8★ (93) wp.org #23 ↓4 8 too low 16 Mega Addons For WPBakery Page Builder 20K+ · 4.2★ (57) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 Colorbox Panels & Info Box 1K+ · 4.6★ (44) wp.org #22 ↓4 5 too low 18 WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars 10K+ · 4.2★ (22) wp.org #17 ↑3 1 too high 19 Sitelinks Search Box 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Service Box 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #8 ↓1 12 too high 21 Extension Info Exporter 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #12 ↑1 9 too high 22 Cool Author Box – For Widget and Post Content 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↑1 11 too high 23 RS Author Info Box 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↓1 14 too high 24 Infobox 1K+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #16 ↑1 8 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.