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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “archives widget”

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 “archives widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Category Archives Block shows at wp.org #11 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1028 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #1 2 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #2 3 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #3 4 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #12 ↑4 5 too low 8 Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 E Expanding Archives 3K+ · 4.7★ (6) wp.org #4 6 too high 11 ShopEngine – All-in-One Elementor WooCommerce Builder with eCommerce Templates & Woo Widgets 100K+ · 4.6★ (212) wp.org #17 6 too low 12 پارسی دیت – Parsi Date 100K+ · 4.6★ (130) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #22 9 too low 14 Compact Archives 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #6 8 too high 15 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too high 16 Dynamic Widgets 10K+ · 4.7★ (109) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 JS Archive List 3K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too high 18 Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 Collapsing Archives 3K+ · 4.1★ (21) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Events Widgets For Elementor And The Events Calendar 10K+ · 4.5★ (108) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (79) wp.org #21 22 Category Archives Block 900+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #11 11 too high 23 Widget Visibility Control 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #23 ↑1 24 Essential Widgets 10K+ · 3.5★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓1 11 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.