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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “tile”

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 “tile”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 3 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

Gallery Tile Links (for Elementor) shows at wp.org #2 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Gallery by Visual Portfolio places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 340 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Image Photo Gallery Final Tiles Grid 20K+ · 4.7★ (353) wp.org #1 2 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 Meta Box – A Framework for Dynamic Websites 500K+ · 4.8★ (165) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #9 ↑2 5 too low 5 Ultimate Maps by Supsystic – OpenStreetMap, Leaflet & Mapbox, No API Key 10K+ · 4.6★ (86) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 AI-Powered Carousel, Slider, Video & Photo Gallery Blocks by WP Carousel 60K+ · 4.7★ (434) wp.org #13 7 too low 7 Gallery Block by Galleryberg: Lightbox with Tiles, Masonry, Square, & Justified Layouts 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #4 3 too high 8 Meow Gallery 10K+ · 4.9★ (203) wp.org #14 ↓2 6 too low 9 Element Pack Addons for Elementor – MCP & AI-Ready Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates, Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.7★ (284) wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too low 10 Ninja Forms – Contact Form Builder with Calculators, Quizzes, Signatures & AI Form Builder 500K+ · 4.4★ (1397) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) wp.org #11 ↓1 12 Gallery by Visual Portfolio 60K+ · 4.8★ (340) wp.org #21 ↓2 9 too low 13 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #22 ↓1 9 too low 14 Justified Gallery 8K+ · 4.9★ (206) wp.org #24 ↓1 10 too low 15 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 Leaflet Map 30K+ · 4.9★ (58) wp.org #20 ↓1 4 too low 17 Extensions for Leaflet Map 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too high 18 Catch Gallery 10K+ · 4.0★ (16) wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 Gallery Tile Links (for Elementor) 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 ↑1 17 too high 20 GPX Route Map 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #10 10 too high 21 Tiles Proxy for OpenStreetMap 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #6 15 too high 22 Eventward 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↑5 4 too high 23 DesignSetGo 8K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too high 24 Latest Posts Block – Dynamic Posts Grid, Posts List, Posts Tile with Stunning Layouts for WordPress Blogs & Pages 6K+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↓1 16 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.