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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “thumbnail grid”

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 “thumbnail grid”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 5 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

Classic Blog Grid shows at wp.org #11 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries places #10 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 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #1 2 The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265) wp.org #2 3 Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 A AJAX Thumbnail Rebuild 30K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too low 5 AnWP Post Grid and Post Carousel Slider for Elementor 20K+ · 4.9★ (84) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 F Featured Image Thumbnail Grid 300+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #3 ↑1 3 too high 7 Product Category Slider & Grid for WooCommerce – Reno Product Category 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too low 9 Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406) wp.org #20 11 too low 10 FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) wp.org #22 ↓2 12 too low 11 Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too low 12 Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #21 ↓7 9 too low 13 Blog Filter – Post Grid Filter by Category or Tag 7K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #17 4 too low 14 Video Grid 1K+ · 4.4★ (15) wp.org #8 ↓1 6 too high 15 Gallery PhotoBlocks 3K+ · 5.0★ (76) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 WP Ultimate Post Grid 4K+ · 4.4★ (32) wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too high 17 Portfolio Grid – Filterable Gallery, Grid & Slider Showcase 800+ · 4.4★ (33) wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too high 18 Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) wp.org #23 ↓2 5 too low 19 Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #24 ↓2 5 too low 20 Grid Gallery – for Photo Gallery, Image Gallery & Portfolio 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #9 ↓1 11 too high 21 Fancy Post Grid – Ultimate Post Grid Builder 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too high 22 Featured Image Pro Post Grid 900+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Flexi Post Grid 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓1 10 too high 24 Classic Blog Grid 3K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↓1 13 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.