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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “animated preloader.”

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 “animated preloader.”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Waito Animated Preloader and Loading Screen shows at wp.org #8 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 30+ 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

The Plus Addons for Elementor – Mega Menu, Header Footer, Post Grid, AI Widgets & Templates places #4 on merit, 4.6★ from 388 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Safelayout Cute Preloader – CSS3 WordPress Preloader 10K+ · 5.0★ (84) wp.org #1 2 LoftLoader 70K+ · 4.5★ (33) wp.org #2 3 Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode Page & Under Construction 10K+ · 4.8★ (317) wp.org #9 6 too low 4 The Plus Addons for Elementor – Mega Menu, Header Footer, Post Grid, AI Widgets & Templates 100K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #13 9 too low 5 Animated Live Wall Gallery 1K+ · 4.4★ (14) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 Sina Extension for Elementor 40K+ · 4.9★ (35) wp.org #7 8 DWL Preloader 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 Slider Hero with Video Background, Animation 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #12 3 too low 10 WP Preloader 100+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 BWD Elementor Addons 400+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 WP Counter Up – Animated Number Counter & Milestone Showcase 1K+ · 4.0★ (5) wp.org #6 6 too high 13 UiCore Animate – Free Animations, Transitions, and Interactions Addon for Elementor & Gutenberg blocks 40K+ · 3.2★ (10) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 Safelayout Elegant Icons – WordPress icons 700+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #16 2 too low 15 PrimeKit Addons and Templates 70+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #21 6 too low 16 Plover Kit – Blocks, Patterns, Responsive Layout and Gutenberg Editor Enhancements 3K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 Safelayout Brilliant Buttons – WordPress Buttons 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 Waito Animated Preloader and Loading Screen 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 10 too high 19 Advanced Preloader 20+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 4 too high 20 Init FX Engine – Interactive, Event-Driven, Lightweight 80+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 Preloader Studio – Animated Loading Screens — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 All-in-One WP Preloader 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 KineticHub Page Loader – Preloader & Branded Loading Screen 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 King Addons for Elementor – 100+ Elementor Widgets, 4 000+ Elementor Templates, WooCommerce Builder, Mega Menu, Popup Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 1 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.