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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “zero blocks given”

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 “zero blocks given”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Zero Blocks Given shows at wp.org #2 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 10+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1071 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 SimpleTOC – Table of Contents Block 10K+ · 4.9★ (77) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too low 3 JetFormBuilder — Dynamic Blocks Form Builder 80K+ · 4.2★ (72) wp.org #3 4 Advanced IP Blocker 3K+ · 4.9★ (27) wp.org #4 ↑2 5 Internal Link Juicer: SEO Auto Linker for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (537) wp.org #10 ↑2 5 too low 6 WP-PostViews 90K+ · 4.4★ (65) wp.org #7 1 too low 7 hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Envira Gallery – Image Photo Gallery, Albums, Video Gallery, Slideshows & More 100K+ · 4.7★ (1596) wp.org #16 ↓6 8 too low 9 Product Feed PRO for WooCommerce by AdTribes – Product Feeds for WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.7★ (1071) wp.org #18 ↑3 9 too low 10 WP-PostRatings 20K+ · 4.4★ (178) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too low 11 MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Conditional Forms, Form Templates & Custom Form Builder for Elementor 500K+ · 4.7★ (509) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 Responsive Blocks – Page Builder for Blocks & Patterns 3K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #6 ↓1 6 too high 13 Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #11 ↑3 2 too high 14 Easy Digital Downloads – eCommerce Payments and Subscriptions made easy 40K+ · 4.7★ (591) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 Prevent Browser Caching 10K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #15 ↑1 16 Link Whisper Free 30K+ · 4.2★ (150) wp.org #20 ↑2 4 too low 17 WP-UserOnline 10K+ · 4.6★ (38) wp.org #17 18 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #22 ↓4 4 too low 19 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 Zero Blocks Given 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #2 ↓1 18 too high 21 Ajax Cart for WooCommerce 5K+ · 4.4★ (39) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 Helpie FAQ — Accordion, Docs & Knowledge Base 8K+ · 4.5★ (80) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Nexter Extension – Security, Performance, Code Snippets & Site Toolkit 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #14 ↑5 9 too high 24 Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #13 ↑2 11 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.