wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “toggle shortcode”
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 “toggle shortcode”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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 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
FAQ Schema Shortcode shows at wp.org #12 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 100+ 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.
Shortcode Redirect 10K+ · 4.3★ (31)
wp.org #1 2 
Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ · 4.9★ (5925) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 3 
The Events Calendar Shortcode & Block 10K+ · 4.7★ (101)
wp.org #3 4 
Spotlight Social Feeds – Block, Shortcode, and Widget 60K+ · 4.7★ (171)
wp.org #6 ↑2 2 too low 5 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (878)
wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6 
Easy Bootstrap Shortcode 6K+ · 4.0★ (50)
wp.org #4 2 too high 7 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
Arconix Shortcodes 4K+ · 4.6★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #5 4 too high 10 
PDF.js Viewer 20K+ · 4.4★ (53)
wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too high 11 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2774)
wp.org #14 ↑4 3 too low 12 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4122) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820)
wp.org #22 ↓1 9 too low 14 
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4340) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #17 3 too low 15 
Bootstrap Shortcodes 4K+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too high 16 
Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme 20K+ · 4.5★ (390)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
Easy Table of Contents 600K+ · 4.4★ (221)
wp.org #19 ↑3 2 too low 18 
Image CAPTCHA for Contact Form 7 and WPForms by HookAndHook (DSGVO/GDPR) 70K+ · 4.7★ (49)
wp.org #23 ↓3 5 too low 19 
WP-ShowHide 9K+ · 4.2★ (43)
wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 
Quick and Easy FAQs 10K+ · 4.6★ (36) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↓3 21 
Meks Flexible Shortcodes 10K+ · 4.2★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too high 22 R Rescue Shortcodes 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too high 23 FAQ Schema Shortcode 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #12 11 too high 24 
Clickit Readmore 40+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓2 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.