wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “admin menu search”
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 menu search”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 3 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
Admin Search shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 18 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Max Mega Menu places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 882 reviews, but shows at wp.org #9. 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 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #2 ↑2 3 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
Search Exclude 50K+ · 4.8★ (218)
wp.org #6 ↑8 2 too low 5 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6 
Admin Menu Search 3K+ · 4.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↓1 3 too high 7 
Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48)
wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too high 8 
Ivory Search – WordPress Search Plugin 90K+ · 4.9★ (1562) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓3 9 
Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406)
wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too low 10 
Better Search Replace 1M+ · 4.3★ (546)
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574)
wp.org #13 ↓2 2 too low 12 
Ajax Search Lite – Live Search & Filter 70K+ · 4.8★ (266)
wp.org #12 ↑8 13 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #11 ↑4 2 too high 14 
WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256)
wp.org #17 ↓5 3 too low 15 
FiboSearch – Ajax Search for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1815) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓3 1 too low 16 
Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367)
wp.org #23 ↓1 7 too low 17 
Search & Filter 40K+ · 4.5★ (175)
wp.org #19 ↓2 2 too low 18 
WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100)
wp.org #18 19 
Advanced Woo Search – Product Search for WooCommerce 60K+ · 4.8★ (248) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↓11 1 too low 20 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↑4 5 too high 21 
Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41)
wp.org #21 22 
SearchWP Live Ajax Search 40K+ · 4.7★ (36)
wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 
WP Search with Algolia 7K+ · 4.5★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #22 1 too high 24 Admin Search 1K+ · 4.5★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑2 10 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.