Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “ripple”, 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

Vertex Addons for Elementor shows at wp.org #9 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPVR – 360 Panorama viewer and Virtual Tour Builder for WordPress places #6 on merit, 4.7★ from 133 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Sina Extension for Elementor 40K+ · 4.9★ (35) wp.org #1 2 Cryptocurrency Widgets Pack 600+ · 4.8★ (28) wp.org #2 3 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #5 ↓2 2 too low 4 AnimateGL – WebGL & CSS Scroll Animations and Hover Effects for Gutenberg and Elementor 2K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Gravity Booster – Styles & Layouts for Gravity Forms 30K+ · 4.6★ (199) wp.org #8 ↓4 3 too low 6 WPVR – 360 Panorama viewer and Virtual Tour Builder for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #20 ↓6 14 too low 7 DWL Preloader 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 Cryptocurrency Widgets For Elementor 1K+ · 4.9★ (15) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 Gutenslider — Slider Block for the Block Editor 10K+ · 4.0★ (65) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Slider Hero with Video Background, Animation 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #23 ↓1 13 too low 11 Sky Addons for Elementor – 160+ Widgets, GSAP Animations, Templates & Theme Builder 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too low 12 BitPay Checkout for WooCommerce 200+ · 3.4★ (7) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 Cursor Style & Animation 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 Marvy – Background Animations for Elementor 4K+ · 4.0★ (7) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 All Currencies for WooCommerce 900+ · 3.8★ (9) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 All In One Lightbox – show any media in beautiful popups 3K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #18 ↓3 2 too low 17 WP Preloader 100+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 Safelayout Brilliant Buttons – WordPress Buttons 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↓4 3 too low 19 Wexlab Motion Effects for Elementor 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↑1 20 Vertex Addons for Elementor 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↓1 11 too high 21 Cointopay — Crypto and Fiat Payments for WooCommerce 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↑3 5 too high 22 OffCanvas / Drawer – add sleek slide-in panels to any page 900+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↓1 10 too high 23 Advanced Scrollbar – Give Your Site a Sleek Branded Scrolling Feel 600+ · 3.0★ (7) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 CursorFlex – Stylish Cursor Effects for WordPress 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.