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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “backdrop filter”

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 “backdrop filter”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20.

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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

OffCanvas / Drawer – add sleek slide-in panels to any page shows at wp.org #5 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 900+ 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

Meow Lightbox places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 190 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Sticky Header Effects for Elementor 300K+ · 4.5★ (69) wp.org #1 2 Element Pack Addons for Elementor – MCP & AI-Ready Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates, Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.7★ (284) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70) wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too low 5 Sky Addons for Elementor – 160+ Widgets, GSAP Animations, Templates & Theme Builder 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Meow Lightbox 10K+ · 4.9★ (190) wp.org #19 ↓1 13 too low 7 Magical Shop Builder – WooCommerce Template Builder for Elementor | Shop, Cart, Checkout & Product Page Builder 3K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too low 8 Sticky Elementor – Sticky Header, Menu Color After Sticky, Logo Swap & Back to Top Button 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 6 too high 9 bSlider – Build Sliders That Bring Your Content to Life 5K+ · 4.0★ (11) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Video Player Block – play videos beautifully on any device 2K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Movie Engine – OTT Streaming Platform for Movies & TV Series 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 Wow Elements Addons for Elementor 50+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #18 ↓2 6 too low 13 Coming Soon Maintenance Mode 6K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 PopupRoulette 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 OffCanvas / Drawer – add sleek slide-in panels to any page 900+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 10 too high 16 Blockera Site Builder – Responsive Blocks, Block States, and everything Gutenberg is missing 100+ · 4.3★ (8) wp.org #23 ↓3 7 too low 17 Icon Box Block – Insert your favorite icon with customization and design 600+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #8 ↓1 9 too high 18 Glass Act – Backdrop Filters for Blocks — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 6 too high 19 Sieve – Faceted Filter for WooCommerce — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too low 20 Atomic Addons – AI Website Builder for Elementor & WooCommerce 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Altonet Fluid Glassmorphism 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too high 22 Survey Form Block 500+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 Rainz Accessibility 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Cookie Rocket, Cookie Consent Banner and Script Blocker for GDPR, CCPA and LGPD 70+ · 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.