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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “dashboard layout”

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 “dashboard layout”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 4 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

Cards Layout – showcase content in responsive card grids shows at wp.org #13 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 2354 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 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #1 2 Ultimate Dashboard – Custom WordPress Dashboard 50K+ · 4.6★ (114) wp.org #2 3 MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) wp.org #3 4 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #4 5 WP Data Access – App Builder for Tables, Forms, Dashboards, Charts & Maps 10K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #5 ↑3 6 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #10 ↑3 4 too low 7 Dark Mode for WP Dashboard 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 Smart Grid-Layout Design for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.5★ (72) wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 Frontend Dashboard 500+ · 4.9★ (136) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies 20K+ · 4.9★ (2354) wp.org #24 14 too low 11 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #21 ↑2 10 too low 12 Dashboard Welcome for Elementor 10K+ · 4.1★ (23) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too high 13 ExactMetrics – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Plugin) 200K+ · 2.5★ (1546) wp.org #9 4 too high 14 Connect Matomo – Analytics Dashboard for WordPress 60K+ · 4.5★ (95) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too low 15 System Dashboard 900+ · 4.9★ (16) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 UpdraftCentral Dashboard 5K+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too low 17 Dashboard Cleaner 400+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too high 18 KeepInMind Dashboard Notes 300+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too low 19 Dashboard To-Do List 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too high 20 Layouts for WPBakery 3K+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Analytify – Dashboard Widget for Google Analytics 10K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too high 22 Cards Layout – showcase content in responsive card grids 500+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too high 23 Dashboard Columns 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 8 too high 24 Layout Recompiler for Brizy 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #23 ↑1 1 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.