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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “template selector”

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 “template selector”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

WP Email Template shows at wp.org #6 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.1★ average from 35 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 #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #1 2 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #2 3 Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755) wp.org #3 4 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #4 5 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #5 6 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #12 5 too low 8 Email Template Designer – WP HTML Mail 20K+ · 4.8★ (87) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too low 9 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) wp.org #22 ↓4 11 too low 12 Responsive Starter Templates – Elementor Templates & Starter Sites 10K+ · 4.5★ (39) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 CartFlows – Funnel Builder & Checkout Plugin for WooCommerce 200K+ · 4.8★ (517) wp.org #24 ↓3 11 too low 14 Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (79) wp.org #10 4 too high 15 WDesignKit – AI Templates, Widget Builder & MCP Workflow 30K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #8 ↑1 7 too high 16 WP Email Template 2K+ · 3.1★ (35) wp.org #6 10 too high 17 Premium Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Patterns & Templates 2K+ · 4.8★ (41) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 Number of Products per Page – Pagination Manager for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 Magical Shop Builder – WooCommerce Template Builder for Elementor | Shop, Cart, Checkout & Product Page Builder 3K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 Blocks to Shortcode – Use blocks everywhere: in page templates, Elementor, etc. 600+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too high 21 Bolt CTA Button – Floating Call Button for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #20 ↑3 1 too high 22 Hide Login Language Selector 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 RS Template Builder For Elementor – Complete Control Over Headers, Footers & More 2K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑3 2 too high 24 MotoPress Hotel Booking Styles & Templates 10K+ · 1.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↑1 6 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.