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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “proofing”

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 “proofing”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Banti Album Proofing shows at wp.org #10 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Gmedia Photo Gallery places #8 on merit, 4.3★ from 260 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #1 2 Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More 100K+ · 4.7★ (1597) wp.org #4 2 too low 3 picu – Online Photo Proofing Gallery 2K+ · 4.7★ (55) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Sunshine Photo Cart – Client Photo Gallery & Photo Proofing for Photographers 1K+ · 4.7★ (138) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 Gallery by Visual Portfolio 50K+ · 4.8★ (340) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Gmedia Photo Gallery 7K+ · 4.3★ (260) wp.org #12 ↑2 4 too low 9 Inline Image Upload for BBPress 3K+ · 4.6★ (65) wp.org #13 4 too low 10 WidgetKit for Elementor – Lightweight Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 7K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #20 ↑1 10 too low 11 FolioBlocks 70+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #11 ↑1 12 PhotoBerry Studio for Photographers – Image Selection, Proofing, Watermarking & Client Management 50+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #9 3 too high 13 WPZOOM Portfolio Lite – Filterable Portfolio Plugin 20K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 ShutterPress Gallery – Masonry, justified and grid galleries, lightbox and infinite scroll 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #18 ↑2 4 too low 15 24TT Document Verifier 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 Portfolio Block – The Ultimate Project & Portfolio Builder 800+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Generate Random Orders For WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 Smart Docs 50+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 Tansa 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 Banti Album Proofing 10+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #10 10 too high 21 DriveHub – Google Drive Integration | File Manager, Image Gallery & Media Library 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↑2 6 too high 22 P Proofing Pins — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too high 23 Classic Menu Sync for Block 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too high 24 Gallery for Google Photos – share your albums right on your site 1K+ · 2.7★ (6) 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.