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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “customizable loader”

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 “customizable loader”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

AboveWP Page Loader shows at wp.org #2 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 100+ 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

Hubbub Lite – Fast, free social sharing and follow buttons places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 173 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 LoftLoader 70K+ · 4.5★ (33) wp.org #1 2 Enlighter – Customizable Syntax Highlighter 10K+ · 4.8★ (65) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4121) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Safelayout Cute Preloader – CSS3 WordPress Preloader 10K+ · 5.0★ (83) wp.org #6 2 too low 5 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1677) wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too low 6 AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1115) wp.org #12 ↑2 6 too low 7 Logo Carousel – Responsive Logo Slider, Logo Showcase, and Clients Logo Gallery 20K+ · 4.7★ (162) wp.org #15 ↑2 8 too low 8 Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load 30K+ · 4.8★ (287) wp.org #20 ↑2 12 too low 9 Advanced Views – Display Framework for Gutenberg & Elementor 3K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #13 ↓2 4 too low 10 Hubbub Lite – Fast, free social sharing and follow buttons 30K+ · 4.7★ (173) wp.org #24 14 too low 11 Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (157) wp.org #23 12 too low 12 Ultimate Maps by Supsystic 10K+ · 4.6★ (86) wp.org #17 ↑3 5 too low 13 Quick Ajax Post Loader 10+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #4 9 too high 14 Lightbox & Modal Popup WordPress Plugin – FooBox 100K+ · 3.9★ (95) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 Dynamic AJAX Product Filters for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #8 7 too high 16 AboveWP Page Loader 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 14 too high 17 Smart Search & Product Filter for WooCommerce – Searchanise 1K+ · 4.4★ (43) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 B Laser Loader – Show Visitors Your Pages Are Loading in Style 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 11 too high 19 WP Masonry & Infinite Scroll 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too high 20 Table Of Contents Block 10K+ · 4.3★ (7) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 WH Loader — · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #14 ↑2 7 too high 22 KineticHub Page Loader – Preloader & Branded Loading Screen 30+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 ↑6 13 too high 23 Borderless – Addons and Templates for Elementor 5K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 ↑2 7 too high 24 Alpha Google Map For Elementor 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #10 14 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.