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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “variable column width”

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 “variable column width”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

WooSwipe WooCommerce Gallery shows at wp.org #7 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 39 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery places #3 on merit, 4.7★ from 616 reviews, but shows at wp.org #8. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #3 2 too low 2 BEAR – Bulk Editor for WooCommerce Professional. AI assistant on board (MCP Server) 30K+ · 4.7★ (228) wp.org #4 ↑3 2 too low 3 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #8 5 too low 4 GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122) wp.org #6 ↓2 2 too low 5 Export Variable Products 400+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #1 4 too high 6 Bootstrap Blocks 10K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #5 ↓3 1 too high 7 Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (476) wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8 Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Logo Carousel – Responsive Logo Slider, Logo Showcase, and Clients Logo Gallery 20K+ · 4.7★ (162) wp.org #9 ↓3 10 AI-Powered Carousel, Slider, Video & Photo Gallery Blocks by WP Carousel 60K+ · 4.7★ (434) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 WPC Admin Columns 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #2 ↓1 9 too high 12 Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #13 ↓2 1 too low 13 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #17 4 too low 14 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #18 4 too low 15 Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284) wp.org #19 4 too low 16 Page Builder by SiteOrigin 400K+ · 4.8★ (1005) wp.org #24 ↓3 8 too low 17 WooSwipe WooCommerce Gallery 3K+ · 4.5★ (39) wp.org #7 ↓2 10 too high 18 Product Table for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.8★ (295) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too high 19 WP-Polls 40K+ · 4.2★ (136) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too high 20 Brizy – Page Builder 60K+ · 4.7★ (972) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21 Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #21 22 PVT – Product Variation Table for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (49) wp.org #23 ↓3 1 too low 23 Bulky – Bulk Edit Products for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (53) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too high 24 ATUM WooCommerce Inventory Management and Stock Tracking 10K+ · 4.7★ (128) wp.org #20 ↑2 4 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.