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

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 “screenshots”, 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

Admin Screenshots shows at wp.org #3 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Lightbox for Gallery & Image Block places #11 on merit, 5.0★ from 88 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #1 2

WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #2 ↑3 3

Popups for Divi 100K+ · 4.8★ (442) wp.org #4 ↑7 1 too low 4

Nextend Social Login and Register 200K+ · 4.9★ (446) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5

WP Image Zoom 10K+ · 4.3★ (119) wp.org #6 ↓3 1 too low 6

Flexible Checkout Fields for WooCommerce – WooCommerce Checkout Manager 80K+ · 4.7★ (296) wp.org #12 ↑2 6 too low 7

Enable Media Replace 600K+ · 4.4★ (302) wp.org #14 ↑6 6 too low 9

Shortcode in Menus 50K+ · 4.7★ (82) wp.org #15 ↓2 6 too low 10

Remove Footer Credit 60K+ · 4.7★ (88) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 11

Lightbox for Gallery & Image Block 20K+ · 5.0★ (88) wp.org #19 8 too low 12

Advanced Free Shipping for WooCommerce 40K+ · 4.8★ (122) wp.org #20 8 too low 13

WP Meteor Website Speed Optimization Addon 20K+ · 4.7★ (77) wp.org #17 4 too low 14

Theme Editor 50K+ · 4.6★ (128) wp.org #21 7 too low 15

Link Library 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 ↓4 2 too high 16

No Shipping Message for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (19) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #9 ↓1 7 too high 17

WPPizza – A Restaurant Plugin 900+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #22 5 too low 18

Custom Adobe Fonts (Typekit) 60K+ · 4.4★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↑1 7 too high 19

WP-Appbox 2K+ · 4.5★ (63) not PHP-current wp.org #23 4 too low 20

CP Blocks 1K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #24 4 too low 21

Admin Screenshots 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #3 ↓1 18 too high 22

Astra Hooks 20K+ · 4.5★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #16 6 too high 23

Meta for WooCommerce 400K+ · 2.1★ (481) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #18 5 too high 24

ScreenGlow Image Editor – Beautify, Mockup, Annotate, and Edit Images and Screenshots 50+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #7 ↓1 17 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.