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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “bootstrap sidebar”

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 “bootstrap sidebar”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Ultimate Bootstrap Elements for Elementor shows at wp.org #3 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 6K+ 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

WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 213 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WP Sticky Sidebar – Floating Sidebar On Scroll for Any Theme 10K+ · 4.9★ (153) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Easy Bootstrap Shortcode 6K+ · 4.0★ (50) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 WS Form LITE – Drag & Drop Contact Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (322) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too low 5 Gravity Booster – Styles & Layouts for Gravity Forms 30K+ · 4.6★ (199) wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #13 ↓4 7 too low 7 Blog Filter – Post Grid Filter by Category or Tag 7K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #11 ↑1 4 too low 8 Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #16 8 too low 9 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #20 ↑1 11 too low 10 Tabs Widget for Page Builder 3K+ · 4.8★ (19) wp.org #10 ↑1 11 WPBruiser Security – No CAPTCHA Anti-Spam & Login Protection 10K+ · 4.6★ (213) wp.org #23 ↑1 12 too low 12 NEX-Forms – Ultimate Forms Plugin for WordPress 5K+ · 4.1★ (135) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too low 13 Fusion Page Builder 3K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too high 14 Album Photostream Flickr Gallery 1K+ · 4.7★ (21) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too high 15 Contact Form by Supsystic – Drag & Drop Form Builder with Templates & Form Statistics 6K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #22 ↓2 7 too low 16 Ultimate Maps by Supsystic – OpenStreetMap, Leaflet & Mapbox, No API Key 10K+ · 4.6★ (86) wp.org #24 ↓1 8 too low 17 HTML Social Share Buttons 50+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #21 ↓2 4 too low 18 Pricing Table – Responsive & Easy 3K+ · 4.2★ (26) wp.org #15 3 too high 19 NEO Bootstrap Carousel 30+ · 4.0★ (3) wp.org #4 15 too high 20 Ultimate Bootstrap Elements for Elementor 6K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #3 17 too high 21 Newsletter Subscription Form – User Subscriptions Form, Capture Email 1K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 Bootstrap Carousel Slider – Responsive Image Slider 40+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #6 ↑1 16 too high 23 UnoDock – Mobile Bottom Navigation 700+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 Modal Popup Box — Popup Maker & Popup Builder 2K+ · 3.5★ (10) wp.org #19 ↓1 5 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.