Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “tab switch”

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 “tab switch”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Tabs Block – Responsive Gutenberg Tabs for Block Editor shows at wp.org #7 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 700+ 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

WP Store Locator places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 312 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 Custom Product Tabs for WooCommerce & WordPress Tabs Builder – Smart Tabs 10K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #1 2 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #6 ↑2 4 too low 3 Gutena Tabs 6K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too low 5 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too low 6 WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (195) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too low 7 Plethora Tabs + Accordions 2K+ · 4.9★ (8) wp.org #3 4 too high 8 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #14 6 too low 9 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too low 10 User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #21 10 too low 12 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #13 ↓3 1 too low 13 hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #15 2 too low 14 Easy Tabs Block – Smart, Lightweight & Responsive Tabs for the Block Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #4 10 too high 15 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 Advanced Editor Tools 1M+ · 4.5★ (354) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too low 17 Social Chat – Click To Chat App Button 200K+ · 4.9★ (696) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Multi Step for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.7★ (77) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 Tab Ultimate 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #5 14 too high 20 FAQ Schema – Accordion, Tab, Slider & Gutenberg Block 2K+ · 3.8★ (9) wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too high 21 Post Grid & Post Slider – Carousel, Filter Tabs & Related Posts 1K+ · 4.3★ (8) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Tabs Block – Responsive Gutenberg Tabs for Block Editor 700+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↓1 15 too high 23 Tab Return Notifier 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 ↑2 14 too high 24 Tabbed Contents Block – organize content into neat, clickable tabs 700+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 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.