wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “css id”
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 “css id”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 3 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
GravityWP – CSS Selector shows at wp.org #5 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #10 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 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.
Simple Custom CSS and JS 600K+ · 4.4★ (104)
wp.org #1 2 
Page scroll to id 100K+ · 4.9★ (225) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 3 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
CSS & JavaScript Toolbox 10K+ · 4.8★ (84)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Hummingbird Performance – Cache & Page Speed Optimization for Core Web Vitals | Critical CSS | Minify CSS | Defer CSS Javascript | CDN 70K+ · 4.7★ (1488)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Reveal IDs 40K+ · 5.0★ (61)
wp.org #6 7 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too low 8 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1915)
wp.org #15 7 too low 9 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668)
wp.org #17 ↑3 8 too low 10 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #19 ↓1 9 too low 11 
Catch IDs 20K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #8 3 too high 12 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #20 ↓1 8 too low 13 
CSS JS Manager, Async JavaScript, Defer Render Blocking CSS 1K+ · 4.8★ (90) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 4 too high 14 
Add Admin CSS 10K+ · 4.9★ (35)
wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #22 ↑1 7 too low 16 GravityWP – CSS Selector 4K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #5 11 too high 17 
Visual CSS Style Editor 30K+ · 4.1★ (90)
wp.org #12 5 too high 18 
Woody Code Snippets – Insert PHP, CSS, JS, and Header/Footer Scripts 50K+ · 4.5★ (221) not PHP-current
wp.org #14 4 too high 19 
Widget CSS Classes 80K+ · 4.9★ (74)
wp.org #23 ↓1 4 too low 20 
Post/Page Specific Custom Code 6K+ · 4.6★ (42)
wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 
Page Speed Optimizer: HTTP/2 Push, Async JavaScript, and Defer CSS 6K+ · 4.7★ (64)
wp.org #21 22 
Pattern CSS – The CSS Editor For Blocks 100+ · 5.0★ (8) heavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #16 6 too high 23 
Show IDs by Echo 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #13 10 too high 24 
Cloudi7 ID Card Generator 60+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #24 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.