wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “media sharing”
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 “media sharing”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 3 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
Sharing Image shows at wp.org #6 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333)
wp.org #1 2 
Scriptless Social Sharing 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #2 3 
Social Media Feather 10K+ · 4.6★ (506)
wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4 
Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Social Sharing (by Danny) 2K+ · 5.0★ (68)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 
Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 
Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406)
wp.org #8 ↑2 1 too low 8 
Social Share Icons & Social Share Buttons 10K+ · 4.9★ (1911) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
Blog2Social: Social Media Auto Post & Scheduler 40K+ · 4.5★ (2107) not PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too low 10 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #10 ↓6 11 
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 
WP Socializer – Simple & Easy Social Media Share Icons 10K+ · 4.5★ (128)
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
Hubbub Lite – Fast, free social sharing and follow buttons 30K+ · 4.7★ (173)
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
OG — Better Share on Social Media 20K+ · 4.8★ (216)
wp.org #23 9 too low 15 
AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1114) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↑1 5 too low 16 
Gmedia Photo Gallery 7K+ · 4.3★ (260) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too high 17 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
Super Web Share – Native Social Sharing Button 2K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #16 ↑2 2 too high 19 
Bit Social – Social Media Auto Poster and Scheduler 6K+ · 4.5★ (36)
wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20 Sharing Image 600+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↑1 14 too high 21 
Media Deduper 9K+ · 3.8★ (44)
wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too low 22 
Social Media Icon Widget – Social Profile Links with Gutenberg Block 4K+ · 4.1★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 4 too high 23 
Social Icons Sticky 1K+ · 4.4★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #17 6 too high 24 
Social Linkz – Lightweight and fast social media sharing plugin 90+ · 3.5★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑5 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.