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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “cursor trail”

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 “cursor trail”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 4 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

Smooth Custom Cursor shows at wp.org #3 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Cookie Compliance for WordPress – Cookie Consent, GDPR & CCPA places #3 on merit, 4.8★ from 3026 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #4 ↓1 3 too low 2 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #8 6 too low 3 Cookie Compliance for WordPress – Cookie Consent, GDPR & CCPA 800K+ · 4.8★ (3026) wp.org #15 ↑1 12 too low 4 Animated Mouse Cursor Trail 100+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #1 3 too high 5 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #13 8 too low 6 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #11 5 too low 7 Easy MCP AI – Connect Claude to WordPress: MCP Server for ChatGPT & AI Agents 30K+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #7 8 Confetti – Celebration Effects for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (49) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Ultimate Cursor – Interactive and Animated Custom Cursor and Background Effects Toolkit 3K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #2 7 too high 10 Cursor Style & Animation 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #6 4 too high 11 Secure MCP Server for Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini and other AI Agents 8K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #16 ↓2 5 too low 12 Smooth Custom Cursor 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #3 ↑1 9 too high 13 Cursor Trail 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #5 8 too high 14 ThinkRank SEO – AI SEO Plugin for SEO & Google Search Console 20K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 Agent Abilities for MCP – Connect Claude and ChatGPT with Permission Controls and Audit Log 800+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #19 ↑1 4 too low 16 GPX Viewer 900+ · 3.8★ (8) wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too high 17 Rs Christmas Santa – Snowfall, Christmas Lights, Holiday Music, Flying Sleigh & Countdown 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 Shining Cursor Trail 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 9 too high 19 Mouse Trail Free 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 RTMKit for Elementor – Modular Addons, Widgets, Templates, Icon Library, GSAP Animations, MCP & Store Ready 40K+ · 2.7★ (16) wp.org #23 ↑1 3 too low 21 CursorCraft – Cursor Builder for Elementor 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too high 22 Arts Cursor Follower for Elementor 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23 Glimmerwake – Seasonal Cursor Trails — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too high 24 FaeCursor – Interaction Effects Toolkit 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↑1 6 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.