wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “browser update 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 “browser update widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget shows at wp.org #6 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 7520 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #1 2

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #2 ↑2 3

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #3 4

Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #4 ↓2 5

Go Live Update Urls 90K+ · 4.5★ (59) wp.org #5 6

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #9 ↑2 3 too low 7

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8

SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too high 9

Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too high 10

Image Widget 100K+ · 4.9★ (287) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11

Maps Widget for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (512) wp.org #14 3 too low 12

Void Contact Form 7 Widget For Elementor Page Builder 10K+ · 4.9★ (103) wp.org #12 ↑1 13

Reviews Widgets for Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp & Recommendations 10K+ · 4.9★ (326) wp.org #16 3 too low 14

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709) wp.org #20 ↓1 6 too low 15

WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144) wp.org #15 16

GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget 900+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #6 10 too high 17

WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229) wp.org #24 7 too low 18

Tagembed: Social Media Feeds and Customer Reviews Widget 9K+ · 3.9★ (62) wp.org #10 ↓1 8 too high 19

Currency Converter Widget 2K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #17 2 too high 20

WP Telegram Widget and Join Link 4K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too high 21

Crypto Converter ⚡ Widget 1K+ · 4.6★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #23 2 too low 22

Simple Google Calendar Outlook Events Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too high 24

Exchange Rates Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews 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.