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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “margin”

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 “margin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 6 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

Flexible Spacer Block shows at wp.org #12 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 5333 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (59) wp.org #1 2 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #3 ↑8 1 too low 3 WP Sticky Sidebar – Floating Sidebar On Scroll for Any Theme 10K+ · 4.9★ (153) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333) wp.org #11 ↓8 7 too low 5 The Icon Block 40K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #5 6 I iframe 60K+ · 4.4★ (56) wp.org #6 7 VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #2 5 too high 8 Advanced WordPress Backgrounds 30K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #7 ↑8 1 too high 9 PublishPress Blocks – Block Controls, Block Visibility, Block Permissions 20K+ · 4.7★ (204) wp.org #14 ↑4 5 too low 10 Logo Slider WP – Responsive Logo Carousel, Logo Gallery & Logo Showcase 10K+ · 4.5★ (61) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too high 11 Price Based on Country for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.8★ (262) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 Mailonix – Email Template Customizer for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (105) wp.org #8 4 too high 13 Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 Redux Framework 900K+ · 4.4★ (273) wp.org #15 ↓3 1 too low 15 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #24 ↓3 9 too low 16 Team Members – Multi Language Supported Team Plugin 6K+ · 5.0★ (85) wp.org #22 ↑2 6 too low 17 Bootstrap Blocks 10K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #20 ↑3 3 too low 18 Simple Chat Button 40K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #13 ↑3 5 too high 19 Flexible Spacer Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #12 ↑1 7 too high 20 Cost of Goods: Product Cost & Profit Calculator for WooCommerce 9K+ · 4.7★ (41) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too high 21 Organization chart 5K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #17 ↓3 4 too high 22 Ultimate Post List 2K+ · 4.6★ (13) wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23 PowerFolio – Portfolio & Image Gallery for Elementor 10K+ · 4.5★ (12) wp.org #18 ↑2 5 too high 24 Payment Methods by Product & Country for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.2★ (18) wp.org #19 5 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.