Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “pack sizes”

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 “pack sizes”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Mox Icons – Icon Pack for Elementor shows at wp.org #5 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

MaxButtons – Create buttons places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1093 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Simple Image Sizes 60K+ · 4.6★ (91) wp.org #1 2 Element Pack Addons for Elementor – MCP & AI-Ready Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates, Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.7★ (284) wp.org #2 3 bbp style pack 6K+ · 4.9★ (100) wp.org #3 4 Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 30K+ · 4.7★ (79) wp.org #4 5 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 Autoptimize 800K+ · 4.7★ (1428) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3003) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too low 10 Menu Icons by Themeisle – Add Icons to Navigation Menus 100K+ · 4.9★ (851) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #13 2 too low 12 MaxButtons – Create buttons 70K+ · 4.9★ (1093) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 Gravity Booster – Styles & Layouts for Gravity Forms 30K+ · 4.6★ (199) wp.org #20 7 too low 14 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #15 1 too low 15 Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 FancyBox for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (92) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Visibility – Lightweight SEO, AEO and GEO for Search and AI 600+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #6 11 too high 18 Simple Floating Menu 10K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 WP Attachments – Smarter File Management & Download Lists 3K+ · 4.5★ (43) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 BlogLentor – Blog Designer Pack for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 BlockArt Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder Blocks ,WordPress Block Plugin, Sections & Template Library 10K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #21 22 Real3D Flipbook – 3D Flipbook, PDF Flipbook, PDF Viewer, PDF Embedder 10K+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Mox Icons – Icon Pack for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 18 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.