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

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 words”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Rotating Words For WPBakery Page Builder shows at wp.org #7 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 11 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

Unlimited Elements for Elementor places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #8 ↓2 7 too low 2 SmartText Rotator – Add Motion to Your Words 1K+ · 3.5★ (11) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212) wp.org #9 ↓1 6 too low 4 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #11 ↓2 7 too low 5 Marquee Addons for Elementor – Essential Motion Widgets & Templates 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 ↑4 2 too high 6 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #17 11 too low 7 Animated Text Block – Add Typing and Looping Text Effects 4K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 Text Typing – grab attention with animated typing headlines 3K+ · 3.8★ (6) wp.org #4 ↓1 4 too high 9 Testimonial – Build Trust with Rotating Customer Stories 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #2 7 too high 10 GutSlider – All in One Slider and Carousel Blocks for Gutenberg 6K+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 Extensive VC Addons for WPBakery Page Builder 4K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #20 9 too low 12 Sky Addons for Elementor – 160+ Widgets, GSAP Animations, Templates & Theme Builder 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 Product Reviews & Photo Reviews for WooCommerce – Yuko 100+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #24 ↓3 11 too low 14 Blockenberg — 645 Advanced Gutenberg Blocks, 683 Templates and AI Agent for WordPress Block Editor 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #14 ↓1 15 Awesome Guten Text – 8 Powerful Blocks for Gutenberg 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16 Animated Rotating Words for Elementor 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 ↓2 10 too high 17 RTMKit for Elementor – Modular Addons, Widgets, Templates, Icon Library, GSAP Animations, MCP & Store Ready 40K+ · 2.7★ (16) wp.org #21 ↓1 4 too low 18 Rotating Words For WPBakery Page Builder 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↓2 11 too high 19 FrontBlocks Site Tools 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #22 ↓3 3 too low 20 Order List Table Elementor Widget for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Animated Text Widget for Elementor 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 11 too high 22 MarqueeX – Smooth Marquee Slider, News Ticker & Post Marquee for Block Editor & Elementor 900+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 ↓1 10 too high 23 FlexiWords 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too high 24 WPMozo Blocks and Addons 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓5 1 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.