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

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 inspector sync”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 2 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

S2B AI Assistant – ChatBot, Chatbot Inspector, Image Generator shows at wp.org #2 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 40+ 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #1 2 GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Easy Form Builder by WhiteStudio – Drag & Drop Form Builder 1K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Premium Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Patterns & Templates 2K+ · 4.8★ (41) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 AutoPoly – AI Translation For Polylang 5K+ · 4.6★ (30) wp.org #7 2 too low 6 SOOZ – AI for SEO – Bulk Generate Focus Keyphrases, Metadata, Alt Text (SEO Autopilot) 2K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #6 7 Custom Layouts – Post + Product grids made easy 3K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 WPSmartPay – Payment Forms, Invoices, Donations & Subscriptions 100+ · 4.7★ (18) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 Slider Block by Sliderberg – Slider & Carousel Plugin for Block Editor 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #10 ↑2 1 too low 10 Modern Fields, Custom Fields for Gutenberg 40+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too low 11 Gym Builder – Class Timetable & Booking for Gyms, Fitness & Yoga Studios 100+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #15 ↓6 4 too low 12 Responsive Blocks – Page Builder for Blocks & Patterns 3K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 S2B AI Assistant – ChatBot, Chatbot Inspector, Image Generator 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 11 too high 14 KB HTML Site Importer & Visual Editor 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 9 too high 15 LATW Multilingual 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #11 4 too high 16 CartoBlocks for Leaflet 10+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too low 17 Uplink Media Bridge for Etch 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too low 18 Responsive Checker & Device Preview – Mobile Responsive Testing, Simulator & Developer Tools 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓2 2 too high 19 NEO Bootstrap Carousel 30+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 PayWhirl Widget Blocks 10+ · 2.6★ (5) wp.org #22 ↓2 2 too low 21 Brainstorm Cafe Podcast Player 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 2 too low 22 Author Profile Blocks – Author Box & Team Members for Gutenberg — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 ↓2 2 too low 23 Modern Hotel Booking — Direct Booking Engine, Availability Calendar & Vacation Rental PMS 10+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #13 10 too high 24 Interactions – Animations for Elementor & Gutenberg 500+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.