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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “pdf block”

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 “pdf block”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

PDF Embed Block – share documents right inside your posts shows at wp.org #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 4K+ 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

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 2144 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #1 2 PDF Embedder – PDF Viewer & Embed PDF Files for WordPress 300K+ · 4.7★ (529) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 PDF Viewer Block for Gutenberg 10K+ · 4.8★ (9) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 Embed PDF Viewer 20K+ · 4.7★ (19) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 PDF Poster – Let visitors read PDF’s without leaving the page 20K+ · 4.5★ (149) wp.org #9 ↓2 4 too low 6 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #19 13 too low 7 PDF & Print by BestWebSoft – WordPress Posts and Pages PDF Generator Plugin 9K+ · 3.9★ (102) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 Pdf Embed 10K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 PDF Builder for WooCommerce. Create invoices,packing slips and more 2K+ · 4.7★ (145) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 3D FlipBook – PDF Embedder, PDF Flipbook Viewer, Flipbook Image Gallery 70K+ · 4.8★ (182) wp.org #18 ↑3 8 too low 11 Cart PDF for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (26) wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too low 12 WebToffee WooCommerce PDF Invoices, Packing Slips, Delivery Notes & Shipping Labels 50K+ · 4.9★ (285) wp.org #16 ↑2 4 too low 13 Fluent PDF Generator 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #7 ↑1 6 too high 14 Real3D Flipbook – 3D Flipbook, PDF Flipbook, PDF Viewer, PDF Embedder 10K+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too high 15 PDF Generator for WordPress 1K+ · 4.6★ (39) wp.org #13 ↑1 2 too high 16 Button Block – Stylish buttons that get more clicks 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #11 ↑1 5 too high 17 Timeline Block – tell your story with elegant timelines 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #14 ↑2 3 too high 18 Audio Player Block – Advanced Block for Embedding Audio Files 2K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 PDF Embed Block – share documents right inside your posts 4K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #6 13 too high 20 Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) wp.org #22 ↑2 2 too low 21 Flipbook PDF Viewer & Embedder 300+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #21 ↓4 22 Carousel Block – Showcase Images in Elegant Sliding Displays 7K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #20 ↑3 2 too high 23 Flipa PDF Flipbook – PDF Viewer and Page Flip Book 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #17 ↑3 6 too high 24 PDF viewer for Elementor & Gutenberg 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) 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.