wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “video widget”
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 “video widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Widgets for Social Photo Feed shows at wp.org #11 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 28 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1516 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #1 2 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ · 4.6★ (742)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #4 5 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #5 6 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
HTML5 Video Player – embed fast, responsive videos with ease 20K+ · 4.6★ (195)
wp.org #8 9 
All-in-One Video Gallery – Video Player & Galleries for YouTube, Vimeo & Self-Hosted Videos 20K+ · 4.8★ (136)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too low 11 
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #16 ↑4 5 too low 12 Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516)
wp.org #20 ↓2 8 too low 13 
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191)
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
Easy Video Player 20K+ · 4.2★ (57)
wp.org #9 5 too high 15 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 
SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28)
wp.org #11 ↑2 6 too high 18 
WP Video Lightbox 30K+ · 4.3★ (67)
wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too high 19 
Timeline Widget For Elementor (Elementor Timeline, Vertical & Horizontal Timeline) 70K+ · 4.8★ (248)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
Advanced Responsive Video Embedder for Rumble, Odysee, YouTube, Vimeo, Kick … 20K+ · 4.2★ (169)
wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too low 21 
WPZOOM Social Feed Widget & Block 50K+ · 4.3★ (51)
wp.org #15 6 too high 22 
Tagembed: Social Media Feeds and Customer Reviews Widget 9K+ · 3.9★ (62)
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Video Player Block – play videos beautifully on any device 2K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 
Wonder Video Embed 4K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #19 5 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.