wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “admin bar menu”
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 “admin bar menu”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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 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
Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability shows at wp.org #17 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.9★ average from 20 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1199 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #1 2 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #2 3 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too low 4 
Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #5 6 
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #3 3 too high 7 
Menu Cart for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.6★ (99)
wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too high 8 
Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367)
wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9 
Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574)
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 
WPFront Notification Bar 40K+ · 4.5★ (131)
wp.org #9 1 too high 11 
WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256)
wp.org #16 5 too low 12 My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) 100K+ · 4.9★ (1199)
wp.org #23 11 too low 13 
Hide Admin Bar from Non-Admins 10K+ · 4.3★ (30)
wp.org #8 5 too high 14 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #19 5 too low 15 
Auto Hide Admin Bar 3K+ · 4.8★ (32)
wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too high 16 
WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100)
wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17 
Debug Bar 20K+ · 4.1★ (69)
wp.org #13 4 too high 18 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too high 19 
Simple Floating Menu 10K+ · 5.0★ (38)
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 
Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41)
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
User Admin Simplifier 10K+ · 5.0★ (31)
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 
Controlled Admin Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #17 6 too high 24 
Ollie Menu Designer 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #20 4 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.