wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “offset”
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 “offset”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 2 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
Animated Blocks on Scroll shows at wp.org #12 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 2K+ 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
FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 995 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Hash Link Scroll Offset 1K+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Page scroll to id 100K+ · 4.9★ (225) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (59)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Advanced WordPress Backgrounds 30K+ · 4.8★ (44)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 
Image Watermark 40K+ · 4.2★ (298)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 
Sticky Header Effects for Elementor 300K+ · 4.5★ (69)
wp.org #7 ↓1 8 
Lightbox for Gallery & Image Block 20K+ · 5.0★ (88)
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 
Animate It! 20K+ · 4.9★ (127)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
Current Year, Symbols and IP Shortcode 10K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #3 7 too high 11 
Twenty20 Image Before-After 20K+ · 4.0★ (54)
wp.org #8 3 too high 12 FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓4 4 too low 13 
Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79)
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 
Block Animations, Motion & Scroll Effects – Ghost Kit 6K+ · 4.6★ (46) heavy footprint
wp.org #13 ↑4 1 too high 15 B Before After Image Comparison Slider for Elementor 10K+ · 4.4★ (96)
wp.org #22 ↑1 7 too low 16 
CC Child Pages 9K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #21 ↑1 5 too low 17 
Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓3 7 too low 18 
Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 4 too high 19 
HTML Page Sitemap (Block and Shortcode) 10K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 
WP Swiper 4K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #20 21 Animated Blocks on Scroll 2K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑1 9 too high 22 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Playlist Player for YouTube – Fast, Privacy-Friendly Playlists & Channel Feed 1K+ · 4.8★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24 
Auto Alt Text 4K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 6 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.