wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “visual aids”

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 “visual aids”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Flexible Layout Preview Image for ACF shows at wp.org #2 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 800+ 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

Tabby Responsive Tabs places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 144 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.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Beaver Builder Page Builder – Drag and Drop Website Builder 100K+ · 4.7★ (394) wp.org #3 ↑2 2 too low 2

Telephone field for Elementor Forms 4K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #1 1 too high 3

Charitable – Donation & Fundraising Platform (Donation Forms, Recurring Donations & Fundraising Campaigns) 10K+ · 4.9★ (219) wp.org #7 4 too low 4

Disable and Remove Google Fonts | GDPR & DSGVO friendly 100K+ · 4.5★ (46) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5

AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

Tableberg – Simple Gutenberg Table Block 4K+ · 4.8★ (46) wp.org #8 2 too low 7

WPB Accordion Menu – Collapsible Vertical Sidebar Responsive Mobile Menu – WooCommerce Category Accordion 10K+ · 4.4★ (54) wp.org #9 2 too low 8

WP EXtra – One Click Optimize 6K+ · 4.9★ (41) wp.org #10 2 too low 9

ThirstyAffiliates – Affiliate Links, Link Branding, Link Tracking & Marketing Plugin 30K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #17 8 too low 10

ThinkRank SEO – AI SEO Plugin for SEO & Google Search Console 20K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #11 1 too low 11

Tabby Responsive Tabs 10K+ · 4.9★ (144) wp.org #20 9 too low 12

WidgetKit for Elementor – Lightweight Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 7K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too low 13

WindPress – Tailwind CSS integration for WordPress 3K+ · 5.0★ (37) wp.org #18 5 too low 14

Darklup – Enhanced WordPress Dark Mode, Dark Theme, Night Mode & Accessibility Plugin 1K+ · 4.5★ (44) wp.org #16 2 too low 15

MaxSlider 6K+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16

Telephone field for Gravity Forms 400+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #4 ↓1 12 too high 17

Flexible Layout Preview Image for ACF 800+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #2 15 too high 18

Open Accessibility 50+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too high 19

Accesly Widget 20+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↑2 3 too low 20

Etryon Virtual Try-On — · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21

SiteEase Accessibility Pro 20+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #15 6 too high 22

Accessibility Assistant – Readabler 300+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #19 3 too high 23

EDigital Accessibility Tools and Statement 40+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓1 24

MH-Accessibility 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #21 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.