wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “customize admin bar”
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 “customize admin bar”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Remove WP Admin Bar shows at wp.org #9 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 15 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
My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 1199 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #1 2 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑8 4 too low 4 
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Hide Admin Bar 20K+ · 4.5★ (30)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) 100K+ · 4.9★ (1199)
wp.org #17 ↓1 10 too low 8 
Simple Admin Language Change 10K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
View Admin As 9K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 
EU Cookies Bar for WordPress 9K+ · 4.8★ (26)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #18 ↓1 7 too low 12 
Controlled Admin Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #22 9 too low 14 
WP Custom Admin Interface 30K+ · 4.7★ (160) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓4 2 too high 15 
Mobile Contact Bar 9K+ · 4.6★ (30)
wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too high 16 
Speed Contact Bar 4K+ · 4.6★ (56)
wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17 
Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 1 too low 19 
Better Admin Bar 3K+ · 4.8★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓5 3 too high 20 
HashBar – Announcement, Notification Bar & Popup Campaign 9K+ · 4.2★ (38)
wp.org #20 21 
My WP Customize Admin/Frontend 8K+ · 4.3★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too high 22 
Easy Notification Bar 9K+ · 4.6★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓3 1 too high 23 
Freetop – Free Shipping Bar for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (40) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Remove WP Admin Bar 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑12 15 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.