wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wp flickr”
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 “wp flickr”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Animated Live Wall Gallery shows at wp.org #7 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 14 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 5333 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.
Photonic Gallery & Lightbox for Flickr, SmugMug & Others 10K+ · 4.8★ (193)
wp.org #1 2 
Blog2Social: Social Media Auto Post & Scheduler 40K+ · 4.5★ (2107)
wp.org #5 3 too low 3 
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
WP Socializer – Simple & Easy Social Media Share Icons 10K+ · 4.5★ (128)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Album Photostream Flickr Gallery 1K+ · 4.7★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #2 3 too high 6 
Social Share Icons & Social Share Buttons 10K+ · 4.9★ (1911)
wp.org #11 5 too low 7 
Meow Gallery 10K+ · 4.9★ (203)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
EXMAGE – WordPress Image Links 5K+ · 5.0★ (33)
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
Master Slider – Responsive Touch Slider 60K+ · 4.6★ (504)
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333)
wp.org #20 10 too low 11 
Gallery by Visual Portfolio 50K+ · 4.8★ (340)
wp.org #15 4 too low 12 
Orphans 50K+ · 5.0★ (164)
wp.org #14 2 too low 13 
Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142)
wp.org #18 5 too low 14 Animated Live Wall Gallery 1K+ · 4.4★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #7 7 too high 15 
Content Pilot – Autoblogging & Affiliate Marketing Suite 700+ · 3.6★ (36)
wp.org #8 7 too high 16 
Front End PM 4K+ · 4.8★ (220)
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
Generate Images (AI) – Magic Post Thumbnail 5K+ · 4.3★ (25)
wp.org #10 7 too high 18 
NextScripts: Social Networks Auto-Poster 20K+ · 3.3★ (617)
wp.org #22 4 too low 19 
WP Social Widget 4K+ · 4.7★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #13 6 too high 20 
Juicer.io: Effortlessly embed, curate, and aggregate social media feeds into your website 8K+ · 4.2★ (29)
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
Social Media Icon Widget – Social Profile Links with Gutenberg Block 4K+ · 4.1★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #17 4 too high 22 
Fullscreen Galleria 800+ · 4.8★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Meks Simple Flickr Widget 10K+ · 4.3★ (3) closure risk thin reviews
wp.org #16 7 too high 24 T Themify Shortcodes 7K+ · 3.0★ (2) 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.