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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ui design”

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 “ui design”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 4 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

Modern Design Library shows at wp.org #13 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 70+ 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

Page Builder by SiteOrigin places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 1005 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #6 ↑5 3 too low 4 File Manager Pro – Filester 100K+ · 4.9★ (155) wp.org #5 ↑4 1 too low 5 Canvas 9K+ · 4.1★ (8) wp.org #1 4 too high 6 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7 Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755) wp.org #10 ↑2 3 too low 8 HD Quiz 6K+ · 4.9★ (145) wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too high 9 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 Meta Box – A Framework for Dynamic Websites 500K+ · 4.8★ (165) wp.org #8 ↓2 2 too high 11 Smart Grid-Layout Design for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.5★ (72) wp.org #4 7 too high 12 Page Builder by SiteOrigin 400K+ · 4.8★ (1005) wp.org #16 4 too low 13 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #23 ↓1 10 too low 14 Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 Stackable – Page Builder Gutenberg Blocks 100K+ · 4.9★ (522) wp.org #22 ↓1 7 too low 16 Spectra Blocks – AI Website Builder for the Block Editor 60K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #14 ↓7 2 too high 17 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Wbcom Designs – Shortcodes & Elementor Widgets For BuddyPress 600+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too high 19 MaxiBlocks Builder | 17,000+ Design Assets, Patterns, Icons & Starter Sites 600+ · 5.0★ (17) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 Wbcom Designs – BuddyPress Member Reviews 200+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 Yotako – Convert Figma Designs 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22 Dynamic Product Category Grid, Slider for WooCommerce 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 Modern Design Library 70+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↑1 10 too high 24 Wbcom Designs – Birthday Widget for BuddyPress 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓1 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.