wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “user gallery”
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 “user gallery”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 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
Document Gallery shows at wp.org #12 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 8K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 112 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #2 3 
Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406)
wp.org #3 4 
Social Feed Gallery 80K+ · 4.5★ (303)
wp.org #4 ↑4 5 
Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More 100K+ · 4.7★ (1596)
wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too low 6 
Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ · 4.6★ (742)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995) not PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 
Photo Gallery by 10Web – Mobile-Friendly Image Gallery 100K+ · 4.5★ (1581) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 
Meow Gallery 10K+ · 4.9★ (203)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
Portfolio Filter Gallery – Photo Gallery 20K+ · 4.8★ (348)
wp.org #11 1 too low 11 
SimpLy Gallery 40K+ · 4.8★ (118)
wp.org #9 2 too high 12 
Justified Gallery 8K+ · 4.9★ (206)
wp.org #14 ↓2 2 too low 13 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #15 ↓2 2 too low 14 
Gallery Custom Links 30K+ · 4.7★ (208)
wp.org #18 4 too low 15 
User Frontend – Membership, User Registration, User Profile, User Directory & Content Restriction with Frontend Post Submission 20K+ · 4.1★ (537) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 2 too high 16 
Photo Gallery – GT3 Image Gallery & Gutenberg Block Gallery 10K+ · 4.8★ (147) not PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓2 17 Document Gallery 8K+ · 4.8★ (112) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 5 too high 18 
All-in-One Video Gallery – Video Player & Galleries for YouTube, Vimeo & Self-Hosted Videos 20K+ · 4.8★ (136)
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 
Gallery PhotoBlocks 3K+ · 5.0★ (76)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
Gallery Lightbox 10K+ · 4.7★ (106)
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
One User Avatar | User Profile Picture 100K+ · 4.7★ (41)
wp.org #17 5 too high 23 
Product Video Gallery for Woocommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (97) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 
Filter Gallery 3K+ · 4.6★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 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.