wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “tablet”
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 “tablet”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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
Mobile Detect shows at wp.org #9 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #1 2 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too low 3 
Favicon by RealFaviconGenerator 200K+ · 4.9★ (802)
wp.org #6 ↓3 3 too low 4 
GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122)
wp.org #4 5 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #5 ↑2 6 
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #10 ↑12 3 too low 8 
WooCommerce Stripe Payment Gateway 700K+ · 3.1★ (237) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement
wp.org #2 6 too high 9 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) not PHP-current
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 
Stackable – Page Builder Gutenberg Blocks 100K+ · 4.9★ (522) heavy footprint
wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11 
Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer 400K+ · 4.5★ (81)
wp.org #8 ↓2 3 too high 12 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #15 3 too low 13 
Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) – Quiz Maker & Survey Maker 40K+ · 4.7★ (1282)
wp.org #22 9 too low 14 
Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154)
wp.org #17 ↓6 3 too low 15 
Social Feed Gallery 80K+ · 4.5★ (303)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
FileOrganizer – WordPress File Manager 200K+ · 4.8★ (49)
wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 
Simple Chat Button 40K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too high 18 
Superb Addons: Blocks, Patterns, Pre-built Pages, Sliders, Popups, Free Forms, Animations & More 80K+ · 4.9★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓2 1 too low 19 Mobile Detect 3K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #9 10 too high 20 
WPZOOM Social Feed Widget & Block 50K+ · 4.3★ (51)
wp.org #21 ↓3 1 too low 21 
Smooth Back To Top Button 40K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 M Multi Device Switcher 10K+ · 4.3★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓4 6 too high 23 
Themify Builder 6K+ · 3.9★ (24) heavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓3 5 too high 24 
Free WooCommerce Products Slider/Carousel Pro 2K+ · 4.7★ (17) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓8 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.