wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “shapes”
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 “shapes”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 2 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
Shape Dividers Plus for Elementor shows at wp.org #2 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 410 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #8 ↑2 4 too low 5 
Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑7 6 
WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312)
wp.org #10 ↑14 4 too low 7 
Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525)
wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8 
Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Color, Image & Size Swatches 200K+ · 4.6★ (51)
wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too high 9 
HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 ↓2 10 FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too low 11 
Leaflet Map 30K+ · 4.9★ (58)
wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12 
Supreme Modules Lite – Divi Theme, Extra Theme and Divi Builder 200K+ · 4.8★ (109)
wp.org #17 ↓3 5 too low 13 
WP-PostRatings 20K+ · 4.4★ (178)
wp.org #18 ↓2 5 too low 14 
Interactive Image Map Plugin – Draw Attention 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓9 1 too low 15 
Smooth Back To Top Button 40K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #13 ↓2 2 too high 16 
Twentig Supercharged Block Editor – Blocks, Patterns, Starter Sites, Portfolio 20K+ · 4.9★ (171)
wp.org #23 ↓8 7 too low 17 
MapPress – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap & Leaflet 30K+ · 4.7★ (147)
wp.org #22 ↓1 5 too low 18 
Simple Floating Menu 10K+ · 5.0★ (38)
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 
Ultimate Maps by Supsystic – OpenStreetMap, Leaflet & Mapbox, No API Key 10K+ · 4.6★ (86) not PHP-current
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Shape Dividers Plus for Elementor 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #2 18 too high 21 
Block Animations, Motion & Scroll Effects – Ghost Kit 6K+ · 4.6★ (46) heavy footprint
wp.org #21 22 
Custom Shape Dividers create dividers in a easy way 300+ · 4.7★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓4 10 too high 23 
Falling Shapes 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↑13 17 too high 24 
Ultimate Cursor – Interactive and Animated Custom Cursor and Background Effects Toolkit 3K+ · 4.5★ (4) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓2 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.