wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “shadowbox”
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 “shadowbox”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 3 of the top 16. 4 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Surbma | Divi Lightbox shows at wp.org #1 but places #5 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its 200+ 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.
Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
MyBookTable Bookstore by Stormhill Media 1K+ · 3.8★ (41)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 C Cleaner Gallery 2K+ · 4.8★ (23) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 D Dooodl 50+ · 4.3★ (7) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Surbma | Divi Lightbox 200+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #1 4 too high 6 S Shadowbox JS 1K+ · 4.6★ (9) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 R RSS Image Widget 60+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #3 4 too high 8 A Always Valid Lightbox 50+ · 4.5★ (2) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #10 2 too low 9 P PhotoJAR: Base 20+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #9 10 W WODTogether Whiteboards 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 P Plugin Name: Always valid lightbox mod 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #11 12 A Add LightBox & Title 300+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 E Ez Overlay 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 W WP-LatestPhotos 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #12 2 too high 15 B BlogWell's Simple Image Link Widget 300+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #16 1 too low 16 Y ytlink 10+ · 5.0★ (1) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #15 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.