wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ios showcase”
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 “ios showcase”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 4 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
Premium Portfolio Features for Phlox theme shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 30K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 874 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #2 3 
Real Testimonials – Testimonial Slider, Collect Customer Reviews and Video Testimonials 40K+ · 4.7★ (226)
wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Team Members Showcase 4K+ · 4.9★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
Portfolio Filter Gallery – Photo Gallery 20K+ · 4.8★ (348)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 
HTML5 Video Player – embed fast, responsive videos with ease 20K+ · 4.6★ (195)
wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 
FiboSearch – Ajax Search for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1815) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓3 3 too low 9 
EmbedPress 100K+ · 4.8★ (307) not PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #18 ↑1 8 too low 11 
WP Plugin Info Card – Showcase Beautiful Plugin, Theme, and GitHub Cards Anywhere 400+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #7 4 too high 12 
MStore API – Create Native Android & iOS Apps On The Cloud 2K+ · 3.7★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↑1 8 too high 13 
Image Hover Effects Ultimate ( Image Gallery, Effects, Lightbox, Comparison & Magnifier ) 10K+ · 4.7★ (250)
wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14 
Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 
Ecwid by Lightspeed Ecommerce Shopping Cart 20K+ · 4.5★ (228) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 
DearFlip – PDF Flipbook, 3D Flipbook, PDF embed, PDF viewer 200K+ · 4.9★ (194)
wp.org #24 ↓6 8 too low 17 
Blog Filter – Post Grid Filter by Category or Tag 7K+ · 4.9★ (81)
wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too low 18 
SimpLy Gallery 40K+ · 4.8★ (118)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking 20K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 
Five Star Business Profile and Schema 7K+ · 4.8★ (52) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
Brevo for WooCommerce 30K+ · 3.4★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too high 22 
AR for WordPress 300+ · 4.6★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too high 23 
Video Player Block – play videos beautifully on any device 2K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Premium Portfolio Features for Phlox theme 30K+ · 4.3★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 10 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.