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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “dark background”

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 “dark background”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

DarkAdmin – Dark Mode for Adminpanel shows at wp.org #10 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Rich Showcase for Google Reviews places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 1623 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 Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme 20K+ · 4.5★ (391) wp.org #1 2 Dark Mode for WP Dashboard 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #2 3 Dark Mode Toggle 2K+ · 4.6★ (19) wp.org #3 4 Darkify – Dark Mode & Night Mode for Website & Admin (Dark Theme Included) 1K+ · 4.7★ (27) wp.org #4 ↑2 5 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too low 6 Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ · 4.6★ (742) wp.org #14 ↓2 7 too low 8 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #19 ↑2 11 too low 9 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #12 ↑2 3 too low 10 Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #23 ↑1 13 too low 11 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #18 ↓1 7 too low 12 ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #13 ↑5 1 too low 13 Markdown Editor (Formerly Dark Mode) 1K+ · 3.3★ (86) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (476) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 Darklup – Enhanced WordPress Dark Mode, Dark Theme, Night Mode & Accessibility Plugin 1K+ · 4.5★ (44) wp.org #6 ↓1 9 too high 16 Dark Reader – Beautiful Dark Mode for any Website 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #5 ↓1 11 too high 17 Options for Twenty Twenty-One 6K+ · 4.9★ (64) wp.org #21 ↓1 4 too low 18 DarkMySite – Advanced Dark Mode Plugin for WordPress 900+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #24 ↓1 6 too low 19 CPS | Age Verification 800+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20 Double Youpï Refined Admin Dashboard – Admin Theme with Dark Mode & Media Folders 70+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #20 21 Browser Theme Color – Address Bar Color & Dark Mode 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 12 too high 22 Onyx Dark Mode Switcher 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↓2 7 too high 23 Etchenet Scroll Video Background Builder 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too high 24 DarkAdmin – Dark Mode for Adminpanel 100+ · 3.0★ (1) wp.org #10 ↑1 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.