wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “thickbox”
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 “thickbox”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 6 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
Activity Plus Styling for BuddyPress shows at wp.org #5 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 19 places. Its 20+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.5★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Slideshow Gallery LITE places #7 on merit, 4.6★ from 743 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Photonic Gallery & Lightbox for Flickr, SmugMug & Others 10K+ · 4.8★ (193)
wp.org #1 2 
Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 3 
Gallery Lightbox 10K+ · 4.7★ (106)
wp.org #10 7 too low 4 
BuddyForms 800+ · 4.8★ (180) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 A Adminimize 100K+ · 4.7★ (254)
wp.org #15 ↓2 10 too low 6 
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191)
wp.org #14 ↑1 8 too low 7 Slideshow Gallery LITE 5K+ · 4.6★ (743)
wp.org #18 11 too low 8 
Manual Image Crop 7K+ · 4.1★ (56) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
PrettyPhoto – Simple Lightbox Plugin 2K+ · 2.8★ (15) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #3 6 too high 10 
Image Widget 100K+ · 4.9★ (287)
wp.org #21 11 too low 11 B BuddyProfileMessageUX Free 50+ · 4.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #4 7 too high 12 A amCharts: Charts and Maps 1K+ · 5.0★ (29)
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 
Search Insights – Privacy-Friendly Search Analytics 3K+ · 4.9★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↑2 1 too high 14 
Sliced Invoices – WordPress Invoice Plugin 4K+ · 4.6★ (117) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15 
Image and video gallery from Google Drive 4K+ · 4.3★ (39)
wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too low 16 
Add Admin CSS 10K+ · 4.9★ (35)
wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17 
Timed Content 5K+ · 4.6★ (41)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
PDF Forms Filler for CF7 3K+ · 4.8★ (13) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #11 7 too high 19 
Gift Wrapper for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (52) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↑1 3 too low 20 
Admin Management Xtended 5K+ · 4.6★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too high 21 
Pochipp 20K+ · 4.2★ (5) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 12 too high 22 
WP ADA Compliance Check Basic 2K+ · 4.5★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23 
GeoFlickr — · 0.0★ (0) thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #8 ↑1 15 too high 24 Activity Plus Styling for BuddyPress 20+ · 2.5★ (4) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #5 19 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.