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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “row separator”

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 “row separator”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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 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

Timed Content For Beaver Builder shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Qi Addons For Elementor places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 205 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 PowerPack Lite for Beaver Builder 6K+ · 5.0★ (243) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder (UABB) 20K+ · 5.0★ (332) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Page Builder Gutenberg Blocks – CoBlocks 300K+ · 4.2★ (109) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 Supreme Modules Lite – Divi Theme, Extra Theme and Divi Builder 200K+ · 4.8★ (109) wp.org #12 ↑1 5 too low 8 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #14 ↑5 6 too low 9 Twentig Supercharged Block Editor – Blocks, Patterns, Starter Sites, Portfolio 20K+ · 4.9★ (171) wp.org #18 ↓8 9 too low 10 Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140) wp.org #19 ↓1 9 too low 11 Divi Torque Lite 50K+ · 4.7★ (116) wp.org #11 ↑1 12 Qi Addons For Elementor 200K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 Timeline Module for Beaver Builder 2K+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 Make Tables Responsive 6K+ · 5.0★ (34) wp.org #16 ↓2 2 too low 15 Export Products, Orders & Customers for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.6★ (14) wp.org #10 5 too high 16 GravityExport Lite for Gravity Forms 10K+ · 5.0★ (39) wp.org #23 ↑1 7 too low 17 Easy Bootstrap Shortcode 6K+ · 4.0★ (50) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 Admin Columns for ACF Fields 9K+ · 4.9★ (20) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 too low 19 RioVizual — Table Blocks for Comparison, Pricing and Pros & Cons 1K+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 Timed Content For Beaver Builder 900+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #8 12 too high 21 Cards for Beaver Builder 1K+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #9 12 too high 22 Alerts for Beaver Builder 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 ↓2 9 too high 23 Hash Form – Drag & Drop Form Builder 3K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Modern Design Library 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 4 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.