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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “text stroke”

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 “text stroke”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

LMSCrafter Gradient Text for Elementor shows at wp.org #3 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 90 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 JVM Rich Text Icons 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #1 2 Block Animations, Motion & Scroll Effects – Ghost Kit 6K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #2 3 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2052) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #14 8 too low 7 Lightbox slider – Responsive Lightbox Gallery 3K+ · 4.7★ (24) wp.org #10 3 too low 8 Advanced Marquee Effect for Elementor – Smooth Marquee, News Ticker, Image Box & Icon Box Marquee 2K+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #23 14 too low 10 Filikod – Alt Text Checker & Bulk Image Alt Text Editor 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 LMSCrafter Gradient Text for Elementor 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 8 too high 12 Marquee Addons for Elementor – Essential Motion Widgets & Templates 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 Squad Modules Lite – Free Divi 5 & Divi 4 Modules for Divi Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #17 4 too low 14 SKT Addons for Elementor 1K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 Dark Reader – Beautiful Dark Mode for any Website 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #15 16 Safelayout Elegant Icons – WordPress icons 700+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #16 17 Interactive US Map – Create Clickable & Customizable U.S. Maps 300+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Blockenberg — 645 Advanced Gutenberg Blocks, 683 Templates and AI Agent for WordPress Block Editor 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #18 19 Mox Icons – Icon Pack for Elementor 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 7 too high 20 Rich Text Formats Block 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 7 too high 21 WBD Progress Bar For Gutenberg 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Lordicon 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Signature Field With Contact Form 7 300+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Image Slider Slideshow 2K+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #21 3 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.