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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “rotating text”

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 “rotating text”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 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

Testimonial – Build Trust with Rotating Customer Stories shows at wp.org #7 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 100+ 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

Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads places #4 on merit, 4.9★ from 2433 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. 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 Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212) wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #13 ↑2 9 too low 5 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 Animated Text Block – Add Typing and Looping Text Effects 4K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #2 4 too high 7 Qi Addons For Elementor 200K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too low 8 Ultimate Responsive Image Slider 30K+ · 4.5★ (248) wp.org #15 ↑2 7 too low 9 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #16 ↓2 7 too low 10 Divi Torque Lite 50K+ · 4.7★ (116) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Text Typing – grab attention with animated typing headlines 3K+ · 3.8★ (6) wp.org #3 ↓1 8 too high 12 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #18 ↓2 6 too low 13 Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (79) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too high 14 Block Animations, Motion & Scroll Effects – Ghost Kit 6K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #19 ↑3 5 too low 15 BNE Testimonials 1K+ · 4.9★ (28) wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 Awesome Guten Text – 8 Powerful Blocks for Gutenberg 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 ↓1 11 too high 17 Random Content 3K+ · 4.8★ (35) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 Ultimate Post List 2K+ · 4.6★ (13) wp.org #21 ↓1 3 too low 19 SmartText Rotator – Add Motion to Your Words 1K+ · 3.5★ (11) wp.org #11 8 too high 20 Ultimate Store Kit – Store Builder Addons for Elementor, WooCommerce Store Builder, EDD Store Builder 3K+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #22 ↑2 2 too low 21 Marquee Addons for Elementor – Essential Motion Widgets & Templates 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #17 ↑4 4 too high 22 Carousel Block – Showcase Images in Elegant Sliding Displays 7K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Testimonial – Build Trust with Rotating Customer Stories 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↓1 16 too high 24 Animated Text Widget for Elementor 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 16 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.