wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “circle menu”
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 “circle menu”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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
Team Circle Image Slider With Lightbox shows at wp.org #4 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Buttonizer – Social Media Share Buttons, Social Icons, & Social Feeds places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 396 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.
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #1 2 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525)
wp.org #5 ↑2 2 too low 4 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #9 4 too low 6 
Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
The Plus Addons for Elementor – Mega Menu, Header Footer, Post Grid, AI Widgets & Templates 100K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
Bubble Menu – Floating Button Menu with Sticky Navigation 1K+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #2 6 too high 9 
Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90)
wp.org #11 ↑2 2 too low 10 Buttonizer – Social Media Share Buttons, Social Icons, & Social Feeds 40K+ · 4.8★ (396)
wp.org #19 ↑1 9 too low 11 
Leaflet Map 30K+ · 4.9★ (58)
wp.org #13 ↑3 2 too low 12 
MapPress – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap & Leaflet 30K+ · 4.7★ (147)
wp.org #18 ↑1 6 too low 13 
Interactive Image Map Plugin – Draw Attention 20K+ · 4.9★ (114)
wp.org #20 ↓3 7 too low 14 
Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54)
wp.org #16 1 too low 16 
Buttonizer – Floating Menus, Sticky Buttons, & Popup Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (151)
wp.org #22 ↑1 6 too low 17 
Modal Window – create popup modal window 10K+ · 3.8★ (36)
wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too high 18 
Hover Effects – easily create any hover effect 7K+ · 4.8★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #14 4 too high 19 Team Circle Image Slider With Lightbox 300+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #4 15 too high 20 
Giuliomax Menu Builder 20+ · 5.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #15 5 too high 21 
Image Gallery 3K+ · 4.4★ (32)
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 
Essential Classy Addons for Elementor – 150+ Widgets, Templates & Performance Tools 400+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too high 23 
The Menu: Custom mobile navigation with icons 400+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #8 15 too high 24 
Unlimited Elements Blocks Library 500+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 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.