wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “visual effect”
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 effect”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Animated Text Block – Add Typing and Looping Text Effects shows at wp.org #16 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery places #11 on merit, 4.3★ from 4342 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Gallery by Visual Portfolio 50K+ · 4.8★ (340)
wp.org #1 2 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Sticky Header Effects for Elementor 300K+ · 4.5★ (69)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Visual Composer Website Builder 30K+ · 4.6★ (220)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (236)
wp.org #6 7 
Image Hover Effects Ultimate ( Image Gallery, Effects, Lightbox, Comparison & Magnifier ) 10K+ · 4.7★ (250)
wp.org #7 8 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #8 ↑2 9 
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too low 10 
Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406)
wp.org #10 ↓1 11 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342)
wp.org #15 ↓4 4 too low 12 
Flipbox – Awesomes Flip Boxes Image Overlay 9K+ · 4.7★ (149)
wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too low 14 
FooGallery Photo Gallery : Image, Video & Masonry Galleries 100K+ · 4.8★ (995)
wp.org #23 ↓3 9 too low 15 
Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140)
wp.org #18 ↓3 3 too low 16 
HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489)
wp.org #21 ↓8 5 too low 17 
Block Animations, Motion & Scroll Effects – Ghost Kit 6K+ · 4.6★ (46)
wp.org #12 ↑2 5 too high 18 
Mega Addons For WPBakery Page Builder 20K+ · 4.2★ (57)
wp.org #13 5 too high 19 
AnimateGL – WebGL & CSS Scroll Animations and Hover Effects for Gutenberg and Elementor 2K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #14 5 too high 20 
Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer 400K+ · 4.5★ (81)
wp.org #24 ↓5 4 too low 21 
Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (79)
wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too high 22 
WPKoi Templates for Elementor 5K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too high 23 Animated Text Block – Add Typing and Looping Text Effects 4K+ · 4.8★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #16 7 too high 24 
Parallax Section Block – Add Parallax Scrolling Effects to Sections 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 2 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.