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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “project showcase”

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 “project showcase”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Portfolio Block – The Ultimate Project & Portfolio Builder shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 800+ 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

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 1680 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Project Manager – AI Powered Project Management, Task Management, Kanban Board & Time Tracker 5K+ · 3.8★ (187) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Team – Team Members Showcase Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (67) wp.org #6 ↑2 2 too low 5 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #15 ↑5 9 too low 7 Project Showcase – Responsive Portfolio, Case Studies & Filterable Grid Layouts 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 Qi Addons For Elementor 200K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #13 5 too low 9 Logo Slider – Logo Showcase, Logo Carousel, Logo Gallery and Client Logo Presentation 30K+ · 4.7★ (252) wp.org #9 ↓2 10 Portfolio Filter Gallery – Photo Gallery 20K+ · 4.8★ (348) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too low 11 Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358) wp.org #18 ↑1 7 too low 12 Team Members Showcase 4K+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #7 ↓1 5 too high 13 Portfolio Grid – Filterable Gallery, Grid & Slider Showcase 800+ · 4.4★ (33) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too high 14 WP Popular Posts 100K+ · 4.5★ (249) wp.org #22 ↓1 8 too low 15 Team Showcase 1K+ · 4.0★ (53) wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too high 16 Product Category Showcase for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #5 11 too high 17 Filterable Portfolio 1K+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 Carousel Block – Showcase Images in Elegant Sliding Displays 7K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Project Pages – Portfolio Template, Portfolio Maker, Work Context Explorer! 30+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20 Video Gallery Block – showcase your videos in a filterable gallery 1K+ · 4.2★ (6) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Portfolio Block – The Ultimate Project & Portfolio Builder 800+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 ↑4 13 too high 22 WPZOOM Portfolio Lite – Filterable Portfolio Plugin 20K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↑3 2 too high 23 Team Members Profile – Employee Directory & Staff Showcase 600+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #23 24 Themify Portfolio Post 30K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓2 5 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.