Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 “styled”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Qi Blocks shows at wp.org #7 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 60K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 995 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 Styled Calendar – Customizable, Mobile Responsive Google Calendar Embeds 1K+ · 4.4★ (19) wp.org #1 2 too high 4 Qi Addons For Elementor 200K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Ultimate Blocks – 25+ Gutenberg Blocks for Block Editor 50K+ · 4.9★ (729) wp.org #5 6 PrettyLinks – Affiliate Link Management, URL Shortener, Link Cloaking, Tracking & Branded Short Links 200K+ · 4.8★ (1322) wp.org #10 ↓4 4 too low 7 MapPress – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap & Leaflet 30K+ · 4.7★ (147) wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 WP Datepicker 6K+ · 4.8★ (37) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #14 ↓2 5 too low 10 Theme My Login 50K+ · 3.7★ (460) wp.org #16 ↓2 6 too low 11 FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) wp.org #21 ↓4 10 too low 12 Progress Bar 1K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 Visual Link Preview 10K+ · 4.5★ (36) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14 Dynific Addons for Elementor (formerly Anywhere Elementor) 70K+ · 4.8★ (104) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 aBlocks – Gutenberg Blocks, User Dashboard Builder, Popup Builder, Form Builder & Animation Builder 2K+ · 5.0★ (26) wp.org #15 16 Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (79) wp.org #9 ↓1 7 too high 17 Qi Blocks 60K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #7 10 too high 18 Simple Sitemap – Responsive HTML Sitemap for WordPress 60K+ · 3.9★ (72) wp.org #18 19 Menubar 1K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 Very Simple Google Maps 3K+ · 4.5★ (17) wp.org #20 ↑1 21 aThemes Addons for Elementor – Widgets & Elementor Addons 7K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Genesis Portfolio Pro 5K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #13 9 too high 23 bBlocks – Essential Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns Collection 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 ThemeZee Magazine Blocks 3K+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #23 ↓3 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.