wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “pin image”
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 “pin image”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Simple Pin It Button for Pinterest shows at wp.org #2 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 489 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.
Weblizar Pin It Button On Image Hover And Post 10K+ · 4.0★ (64)
wp.org #1 2 
Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More 100K+ · 4.7★ (1597)
wp.org #5 ↓2 3 too low 3 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too low 4 
Maps Widget for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (512)
wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5 
Easy Image Collage 3K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↑2 2 too high 6 
Slider by Soliloquy – Responsive Image Slider for WordPress 30K+ · 4.7★ (1025)
wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #12 ↑2 5 too low 8 
Image Hotspot by DevVN 20K+ · 4.3★ (29)
wp.org #4 4 too high 9 
Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590)
wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too low 10 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489)
wp.org #17 7 too low 11 
GS Pinterest Portfolio – Pins Grid, Masonry, User Profile, Popup & Board Widgets 1K+ · 4.8★ (47)
wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too high 12 
Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251)
wp.org #16 4 too low 13 
Recipe Card Blocks Lite 10K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #8 5 too high 14 
Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142)
wp.org #20 ↑2 6 too low 15 
Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216)
wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Simple Pin It Button for Pinterest 3K+ · 4.5★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #2 14 too high 17 
WPSSO Core – Complete Schema Markup and Meta Tags 4K+ · 4.6★ (306)
wp.org #22 ↑2 5 too low 18 
Animation Addons – Elementor Addons, GSAP Animations, Elementor V4 Atomic Widgets & Elementor Templates 10K+ · 4.6★ (66)
wp.org #24 ↓4 6 too low 19 
WooSwipe WooCommerce Gallery 3K+ · 4.5★ (39)
wp.org #19 ↑2 20 
MapSVG – Vector maps, Image maps, Google Maps 1K+ · 4.5★ (31)
wp.org #21 ↑2 1 too low 21 
Pinterest for WooCommerce 200K+ · 2.3★ (68)
wp.org #13 ↑2 8 too high 22 
Rapls PDF Image Creator – PDF Thumbnails & Featured Images 100+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑2 8 too high 23 
AltGenix AI Image SEO 40+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑3 8 too high 24 
My Social Feeds – bring your social content into WordPress 600+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.