wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “loop grid”
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 “loop grid”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 5 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
Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 18 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 612 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.
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #1 2 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 
AnWP Post Grid and Post Carousel Slider for Elementor 20K+ · 4.9★ (84)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525)
wp.org #11 ↑9 5 too low 7 
Loop Grid Extender for Elementor – ACF Repeater & Smart Filters 1K+ · 5.0★ (9) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #2 5 too high 8 
Product Category Slider & Grid for WooCommerce – Reno Product Category 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #10 ↑5 1 too low 10 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓2 3 too low 11 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872) heavy footprint
wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #18 ↓2 6 too low 13 
The Plus Addons for Elementor – Mega Menu, Header Footer, Post Grid, AI Widgets & Templates 100K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #21 8 too low 14 
Tangible: Loops & Logic 2K+ · 4.9★ (39)
wp.org #12 ↓2 2 too high 15 
GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122)
wp.org #17 2 too low 16 
Animation Addons – Elementor Addons, GSAP Animations, Elementor V4 Atomic Widgets & Elementor Templates 10K+ · 4.6★ (66)
wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17 
Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Smart Grid-Layout Design for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.5★ (72) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↓1 9 too high 19 
Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 30K+ · 4.7★ (79)
wp.org #20 ↓2 1 too low 20 Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 12 too high 21 
Advanced Queries 10K+ · 4.9★ (40)
wp.org #19 2 too high 22 
Product Slider, Product Carousel and Product Grid Gallery for WooCommerce – Reno Product Slider (formerly Product Slider for WooCommerce) 20K+ · 4.7★ (280) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 
Cool FormKit Lite – Advanced Form Builder for Elementor 20K+ · 4.6★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓1 24 
Dynamic ACF Repeater for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓4 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.