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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “admin customization”

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 customization”, we agree with wp.org 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

Admintosh – WordPress admin customization and security tools shows at wp.org #11 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 100+ 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.

Buried gem

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 1680 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312) wp.org #1 2 Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Simple Admin Language Change 10K+ · 4.7★ (22) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Controlled Admin Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #6 7 All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #4 ↓1 3 too high 8 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9 WP Custom Admin Interface 30K+ · 4.7★ (160) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too low 11 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #20 ↓1 9 too low 12 Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #18 ↑6 6 too low 13 Adminify – White Label, Admin Menu Editor, Login Customizer 6K+ · 4.3★ (109) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 Add Admin CSS 10K+ · 4.9★ (35) wp.org #13 1 too high 15 WP Frontend Admin – Display WP Admin Pages in the Frontend 400+ · 4.9★ (54) wp.org #19 ↓2 4 too low 16 Admin Search 1K+ · 4.5★ (18) wp.org #10 ↓1 6 too high 17 Easy Hide Admin Menu Items 1K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #17 ↓1 18 Darkify – Dark Mode & Night Mode for Website & Admin (Dark Theme Included) 1K+ · 4.7★ (27) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Admin Custom Font 900+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 Admin Help Docs 600+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too high 21 Admin Posts Navigation 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #23 ↓3 2 too low 22 Admintosh – WordPress admin customization and security tools 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↑1 11 too high 23 AboveWP Admin Dark Mode 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↓4 1 too high 24 Remove WP Admin Bar 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 3 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.