Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “jquery type effect”

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 type effect”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

JS Categories List Widget shows at wp.org #6 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 15 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder (UABB) places #6 on merit, 5.0★ from 332 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Image Hover Effects Ultimate ( Image Gallery, Effects, Lightbox, Comparison & Magnifier ) 10K+ · 4.7★ (250) wp.org #1 2 WP Snow Effect 1K+ · 4.9★ (390) wp.org #2 3 Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #7 ↓1 4 too low 4 Confetti – Celebration Effects for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (49) wp.org #4 5 Block Animations, Motion & Scroll Effects – Ghost Kit 6K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #5 ↑2 6 Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder (UABB) 20K+ · 5.0★ (332) wp.org #15 ↓2 9 too low 7 Social Proof Popups & Real-Time Notifications – Herd Effects 900+ · 3.9★ (15) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 Lightbox for Gallery & Image Block 20K+ · 5.0★ (88) wp.org #12 ↓2 4 too low 9 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too low 10 Gravity Forms + Custom Post Types 10K+ · 4.4★ (46) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #10 ↑7 1 too high 12 JS Categories List Widget 1K+ · 4.8★ (15) wp.org #6 ↓1 6 too high 13 JS Archive List 3K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #13 ↓2 1 too high 15 Advanced WordPress Backgrounds 30K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #11 ↑3 4 too high 16 Photonic Gallery & Lightbox for Flickr, SmugMug & Others 10K+ · 4.8★ (193) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Master Slider – Responsive Touch Slider 60K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too high 18 AI-Powered Carousel, Slider, Video & Photo Gallery Blocks by WP Carousel 60K+ · 4.7★ (434) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Stackable – Page Builder Gutenberg Blocks 100K+ · 4.9★ (522) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Supreme Modules Lite – Divi Theme, Extra Theme and Divi Builder 200K+ · 4.8★ (109) wp.org #20 ↓1 21 Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin – FooBox 100K+ · 3.9★ (95) wp.org #18 3 too high 22 WP Swiper 4K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 HT Mega Addons for Elementor – Elementor Widgets & Template Builder 60K+ · 4.1★ (66) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 DesignSetGo 8K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↓1 3 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.