wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “customize 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 “customize menu”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Customize Admin shows at wp.org #10 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.6★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #10 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 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.
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100)
wp.org #4 5 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #8 ↑2 3 too low 6 
Menu Cart for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.6★ (99)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41)
wp.org #5 2 too high 8 
Iks Menu – WordPress Category Accordion Menu & FAQs 10K+ · 5.0★ (27)
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↑4 10 too low 10 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #24 14 too low 11 
Ollie Menu Designer 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #6 5 too high 12 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #15 3 too low 13 
Advanced Sidebar Menu 10K+ · 4.5★ (37)
wp.org #13 14 
WP Bottom Menu 20K+ · 4.5★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #11 3 too high 15 
WP Menu Cart 8K+ · 4.8★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #14 1 too high 16 
Food Menu – Restaurant Menu & Online Ordering for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too low 17 
SysBasics Customize My Account for WooCommerce – Live My Account Customizer 7K+ · 4.2★ (33) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 5 too high 18 
Five Star Restaurant Menu and Food Ordering 5K+ · 4.6★ (107) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
Fixed Bottom Menu 4K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #16 3 too high 20 
WPB Accordion Menu – Collapsible Vertical Sidebar Responsive Mobile Menu – WooCommerce Category Accordion 10K+ · 4.4★ (54) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too low 21 
Side Menu Lite – Sticky Floating Side Menu 7K+ · 4.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too high 22 
Groovy Menu Plugin (Free) 4K+ · 3.6★ (25)
wp.org #22 ↑2 23 Customize Admin 3K+ · 3.6★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 13 too high 24 
Customize My Account Page 500+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
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.