wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “multi column”
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 “multi column”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
CF7 Mate – Contact Form 7 Styler, Multi-Step Forms & Conditional Logic shows at wp.org #12 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.9★ average from 46 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 
Multiple Columns for Gravity Forms 10K+ · 4.5★ (30) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 too high 4 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #7 ↑2 3 too low 5 
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (107)
wp.org #5 ↑1 6 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑1 7 
CP Multi View Events Calendar 900+ · 4.3★ (46) not PHP-current
wp.org #4 ↓1 3 too high 8 
wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449)
wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too low 9 
Team Members – Multi Language Supported Team Plugin 6K+ · 5.0★ (85)
wp.org #9 ↑1 10 
Equal Height Columns 10K+ · 4.9★ (41)
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
Video Gallery – YouTube Playlist, Channel Gallery by YotuWP 10K+ · 4.7★ (322)
wp.org #14 ↑2 3 too low 12 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #15 ↑3 3 too low 13 
Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973)
wp.org #20 ↓6 7 too low 14 
Bit Form – Contact Form, Payment Forms, Multi Step Forms, Calculator & Custom Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (259)
wp.org #17 3 too low 15 
Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406)
wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too low 16 
MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Conditional Forms, Form Templates & Custom Form Builder for Elementor 500K+ · 4.7★ (509) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↑1 6 too high 17 
Logo Carousel – Responsive Logo Slider, Logo Showcase, and Clients Logo Gallery 20K+ · 4.7★ (162)
wp.org #16 1 too high 18 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
SureForms – Contact Form Builder, AI Forms, Payment Form, Survey & Quiz 500K+ · 4.8★ (102)
wp.org #19 ↑2 20 
Ultimate Before After Image Slider & Gallery – BEAF 30K+ · 4.9★ (107)
wp.org #23 ↓6 3 too low 21 
Table Sorter 5K+ · 4.8★ (29)
wp.org #13 ↑2 8 too high 22 CF7 Mate – Contact Form 7 Styler, Multi-Step Forms & Conditional Logic 20K+ · 3.9★ (46) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↑1 10 too high 23 
Popup builder with Gamification, Multi-Step Popups, Page-Level Targeting, and WooCommerce Triggers 70K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #22 1 too high 24 
Ollie Menu Designer 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #24 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.