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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom mouse pointer”

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 “custom mouse pointer”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Cursor Image Lite shows at wp.org #5 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

PowerPack Addons for Elementor: Widgets, Form Styler and Templates places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 361 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #1 2 Block Animations, Motion & Scroll Effects – Ghost Kit 6K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #2 ↑2 3 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #6 ↑3 3 too low 4 Image Hotspot – Map Image Annotation 3K+ · 4.9★ (22) wp.org #4 ↓2 5 WPVR – 360 Panorama viewer and Virtual Tour Builder for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6 Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125) wp.org #13 7 too low 7 PowerPack Addons for Elementor: Widgets, Form Styler and Templates 70K+ · 4.8★ (361) wp.org #23 16 too low 8 AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #14 ↑2 6 too low 9 GutSlider – All in One Slider and Carousel Blocks for Gutenberg 6K+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 aBlocks – Gutenberg Blocks, User Dashboard Builder, Popup Builder, Form Builder & Animation Builder 2K+ · 5.0★ (26) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 Ultimate Cursor – Interactive and Animated Custom Cursor and Background Effects Toolkit 3K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #3 8 too high 12 Before After Image 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 ↓1 5 too high 13 Cursor Style & Animation 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #9 ↓1 4 too high 14 Parallax Section Block – Add Parallax Scrolling Effects to Sections 3K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #12 ↓2 2 too high 15 Qi Blocks 60K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too low 16 Cursor Image Lite 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 11 too high 17 Web accessibility widget by tabnav 300+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #17 ↑1 18 ToolTips For Contact Form 7 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too high 19 WP Before After Image Slider – Interactive Image and Video Comparison Plugin for WordPress 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Cursor Trail 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 ↓3 4 too low 21 Logo Carousel – showcase client logos professionally 800+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #11 ↑1 10 too high 22 FaeCursor – Interaction Effects Toolkit 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #19 ↓4 3 too high 23 CursorFlex – Stylish Cursor Effects for WordPress 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too high 24 PerformX Custom Cursors — · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 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.