wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “slideshow creator”
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 “slideshow creator”, 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
FotoGrids – Photo & Video Galleries, Lightboxes, Sliders & More shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Quiz Maker, Poll Maker & Survey Maker by Opinion Stage places #6 on merit, 4.4★ from 277 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.
Visual Composer Website Builder 30K+ · 4.6★ (220)
wp.org #4 3 too low 2 
SimpLy Gallery 40K+ · 4.8★ (118)
wp.org #5 3 too low 3 
Slider Block by Sliderberg – Slider & Carousel Plugin for Block Editor 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
WPZOOM Addons for Elementor – Starter Templates & Widgets 20K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #1 3 too high 5 
Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54)
wp.org #11 6 too low 6 Quiz Maker, Poll Maker & Survey Maker by Opinion Stage 6K+ · 4.4★ (277)
wp.org #16 10 too low 7 
GS Portfolio – WordPress Portfolio Plugin with Filterable Portfolio Grid and Portfolio Slider 300+ · 4.4★ (37)
wp.org #12 5 too low 8 
jAlbum Bridge 500+ · 4.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #3 5 too high 9 
Document Embedder Addons for Elementor – Embed Documents in Elementor Websites 6K+ · 3.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #6 3 too high 10 
Loginfy – Custom Login Page Customizer 2K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
GS YouTube Gallery – Video Feed, Channel Playlist & YouTube Slider 100+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 
Genolve – AI Business Graphics, Images & Video 100+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #8 4 too high 13 W WOW Slider 3K+ · 3.0★ (96) closure risk
wp.org #23 10 too low 14 
PhotoPress 100+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #9 5 too high 15 W Web Maps for WordPress 200+ · 4.2★ (5) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
MKM Digital Social Publisher Bridge to Buffer — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #15 1 too high 17 
BaqFlo SlideGallery — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #17 18 
SnapWidget Social Photo Feed Widget 500+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #10 8 too high 19 
Huge Addons for Elementor — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 
Yatoon Social Feed — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #19 1 too high 21 
Kaleidoscope Digital Marketing Platform 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #21 22 
comSlider Slideshow 10+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #22 23 
Gallery One 40+ · 0.0★ (0) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 FotoGrids – Photo & Video Galleries, Lightboxes, Sliders & More 400+ · 1.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #14 10 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.