wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “classic widgets”
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 “classic widgets”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 2 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
Classic Editor and Classic Widgets shows at wp.org #3 but places #11 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Classic Editor 8M+ · 4.9★ (1251)
wp.org #2 3 
Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516)
wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Classic Editor + 30K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #4 ↑2 2 too high 7 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3003)
wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9 
SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 
Content Aware Sidebars – Fastest Widget Area Plugin 30K+ · 4.9★ (724) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Classic Editor and Classic Widgets 20K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #3 8 too high 12 
Widget Content Blocks 10K+ · 4.8★ (60)
wp.org #12 13 
Dynamic Widgets 10K+ · 4.7★ (109)
wp.org #15 ↑8 2 too low 14 
Disable Gutenberg 500K+ · 5.0★ (735)
wp.org #24 ↓4 10 too low 15 
Widgets for Airbnb Reviews 6K+ · 4.6★ (60)
wp.org #14 ↑4 1 too high 16 
WP Tripadvisor Review Widgets 20K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #18 ↓5 2 too low 17 
Widgets for Booking.com Reviews 9K+ · 4.9★ (65)
wp.org #19 ↓5 2 too low 18 
Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #11 7 too high 19 
Events Widgets For Elementor And The Events Calendar 10K+ · 4.5★ (108) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↑3 2 too low 20 
No Gutenberg? – Choose Where to Use the Block Editor or the Classic Editor 9K+ · 5.0★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 21 
Enable Classic Editor & Widgets 2K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓5 1 too low 22 
Classic Addons – WPBakery Page Builder 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 
BP Classic 6K+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 24 
Classic Blog Grid 3K+ · 3.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 8 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.