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

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 “rotate”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 5 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

Content Randomizer – Rotate Any Block shows at wp.org #3 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 100+ 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

Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 491 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. 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 2 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #2 3 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #8 ↑3 5 too low 4 Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 The Icon Block 40K+ · 5.0★ (29) wp.org #5 6 Simple Author Box 90K+ · 4.3★ (115) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #14 ↑2 7 too low 8 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #18 ↓4 10 too low 9 Hover Effects – easily create any hover effect 7K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too low 10 3D Viewer – Turn Product Pages into Interactive 3D Experiences 9K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too low 11 Stickers for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too high 12 Block Animations, Motion & Scroll Effects – Ghost Kit 6K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #16 ↑3 4 too low 13 F Favicon Rotator 20K+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #6 7 too high 14 Content Randomizer – Rotate Any Block 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 11 too high 15 Random Content 3K+ · 4.8★ (35) wp.org #21 ↓2 6 too low 16 Free WooCommerce Products Slider/Carousel Pro 2K+ · 4.7★ (17) wp.org #11 ↓2 5 too high 17 D Disable Payment Methods based on cart conditions for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too low 18 360 Javascript Viewer 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 Animated Headline 2K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #13 ↓3 6 too high 20 Atlant Security 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 A Add Custom Header Images 400+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #15 ↓2 6 too high 22 Flipping Cards 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too high 23 WP GIF Uploader – Animated GIF Upload and Thumbnails 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too high 24 Picture Gallery – Frontend Uploads & Image Editor 400+ · 3.7★ (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.