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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “customization menu”

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 “customization menu”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Fixed Bottom Menu shows at wp.org #8 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

QuadMenu – Mega Menu places #9 on merit, 4.5★ from 270 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312) wp.org #1 2 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #2 ↑4 3 WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 WP Menu Icons 20K+ · 4.9★ (139) wp.org #5 1 too low 5 Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #10 ↑6 4 too low 7 Menu Cart for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.6★ (99) wp.org #7 ↓4 8 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 QuadMenu – Mega Menu 10K+ · 4.5★ (270) wp.org #18 ↑1 9 too low 10 WP Menu Cart 8K+ · 4.8★ (23) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #19 ↑2 8 too low 12 Ollie Menu Designer 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #6 ↑1 6 too high 13 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #23 ↓1 10 too low 14 Ivory Search – WordPress Search Plugin 90K+ · 4.9★ (1562) wp.org #21 ↓7 7 too low 15 Fixed Bottom Menu 4K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #8 7 too high 16 Orbit Fox: Duplicate Page, Menu Icons, SVG Support, Cookie Notice, Custom Fonts & More 100K+ · 4.8★ (317) wp.org #22 6 too low 17 Five Star Restaurant Menu and Food Ordering 5K+ · 4.6★ (107) wp.org #14 ↑1 3 too high 18 Login Logout Menu 20K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #13 ↓3 5 too high 19 WPB Accordion Menu – Collapsible Vertical Sidebar Responsive Mobile Menu – WooCommerce Category Accordion 10K+ · 4.4★ (54) wp.org #12 7 too high 20 Easy Hide Admin Menu Items 1K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #15 ↓2 5 too high 21 Offcanvas Mobile Menu 800+ · 4.9★ (18) wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too high 22 Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #20 ↑3 2 too high 23 Bubble Menu – Floating Button Menu with Sticky Navigation 1K+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 WP Menu Image 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) 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.