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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “tabs plugin”

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 “tabs plugin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 4 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

Tab Ultimate shows at wp.org #7 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 4228 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #1 ↑2 2 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #2 3 Custom Product Tabs for WooCommerce & WordPress Tabs Builder – Smart Tabs 10K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #3 ↓2 4 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #9 5 too low 5 Product Tabs for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (69) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #14 ↑2 8 too low 7 Custom Product tabs for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.9★ (48) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #10 2 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 #13 ↓2 4 too low 10 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #17 ↑7 7 too low 11 BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) wp.org #12 ↑11 1 too low 12 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 Gutena Tabs 6K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #5 ↑1 8 too high 14 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #15 ↓2 1 too low 15 Plugin Organizer 10K+ · 4.7★ (227) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 Easy Tabs Block – Smart, Lightweight & Responsive Tabs for the Block Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #8 ↑1 8 too high 17 E Expand Tabs for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (27) wp.org #21 ↓1 4 too low 18 Plethora Tabs + Accordions 2K+ · 4.9★ (8) wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too low 19 Tab Ultimate 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #7 ↑1 12 too high 20 Responsive Tabs — Horizontal, Vertical & Accordion Tabs for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too high 21 WPC Product Tabs for WooCommerce 800+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #23 ↓4 2 too low 22 Responsive Tabs For Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑1 11 too high 23 Tabs Block – Responsive Gutenberg Tabs for Block Editor 700+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 AffiliateWP – Affiliate Area Tabs 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 5 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.