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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “add scrollbar”

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 “add scrollbar”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 4 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

Swipe Slider – Make dynamic slider with solid, gradient, or image background shows at wp.org #5 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 616 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 PWA for WP – Progressive Web Apps Made Simple 10K+ · 4.6★ (230) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 I iframe 60K+ · 4.4★ (56) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Super RSS Reader – Add attractive RSS Feed Widget 9K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Carousel Slider Block for Gutenberg 50K+ · 4.8★ (59) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme 20K+ · 4.5★ (391) wp.org #14 ↓2 8 too low 7 AnimateGL – WebGL & CSS Scroll Animations and Hover Effects for Gutenberg and Elementor 2K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #7 ↑2 8 Advanced Scrollbar – Give Your Site a Sleek Branded Scrolling Feel 600+ · 3.0★ (7) wp.org #1 7 too high 9 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #19 ↑2 10 too low 10 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #13 ↑4 3 too low 11 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #11 ↓4 12 Smooth Page Scroll Up/Down Buttons 2K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too high 13 Darkify – Dark Mode & Night Mode for Website & Admin (Dark Theme Included) 1K+ · 4.7★ (27) wp.org #10 ↑2 3 too high 14 MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) wp.org #22 ↓8 8 too low 15 PVT – Product Variation Table for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (49) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Alligator Popup 1K+ · 4.9★ (45) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 Modal Window – create popup modal window 10K+ · 3.8★ (36) wp.org #15 2 too high 18 Piotnet Addons For Elementor 20K+ · 3.2★ (57) wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too high 19 Contact Form Generator : Creative form builder for WordPress 700+ · 4.4★ (67) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too high 20 WPC Buy Now Button for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #12 ↓1 8 too high 21 Swipe Slider – Make dynamic slider with solid, gradient, or image background 3K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #5 16 too high 22 WP Flow Plus 800+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Accessible Carousel & Slider – WCAG AA Compliant Slideshow 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 ↑2 2 too high 24 Bizzview – Quick View for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 8 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.