wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “jquery tab”
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 “jquery tab”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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
Tab Ultimate shows at wp.org #6 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder (UABB) places #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 332 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
jQuery Smooth Scroll 10K+ · 4.5★ (47)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Gutena Tabs 6K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
External Links in New Window / New Tab 30K+ · 4.5★ (77)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
WPB Custom Tab Manager for WooCommerce – Add, Edit & Reorder Tabs 500+ · 4.5★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #12 ↓1 7 too low 6 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #14 ↑1 8 too low 7 
jQuery Post Splitter 100+ · 4.6★ (37)
wp.org #7 8 
Tabby Responsive Tabs 10K+ · 4.9★ (144)
wp.org #15 ↓2 7 too low 9 Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder (UABB) 20K+ · 5.0★ (332)
wp.org #24 ↓3 15 too low 10 
Responsive Tabs — Horizontal, Vertical & Accordion Tabs for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #4 6 too high 11 
JS Archive List 3K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 
Responsive Tabs 4K+ · 4.2★ (41)
wp.org #10 ↓2 2 too high 13 
Make Column Clickable for Elementor 100K+ · 4.9★ (53)
wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too low 14 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15 
Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) heavy footprint
wp.org #19 4 too low 16 
External Links – nofollow, noopener & new window 90K+ · 4.3★ (247) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↓1 4 too low 17 
Easy Tabs Block – Smart, Lightweight & Responsive Tabs for the Block Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #9 8 too high 18 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓4 4 too low 19 
CMB2 300K+ · 5.0★ (91) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓3 4 too low 20 
Browser Tab Title Reminder 300+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 12 too high 21 
WP Sort Order 6K+ · 4.5★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #21 22 Tab Ultimate 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #6 16 too high 23 
Post Grid & Post Slider – Carousel, Filter Tabs & Related Posts 1K+ · 4.3★ (8) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 
Tabs Block – Responsive Gutenberg Tabs for Block Editor 700+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 13 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.