wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “dropdowns”
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 “dropdowns”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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
Navigation menu as Dropdown Widget shows at wp.org #7 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #12 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #1 2 
Variation Swatches for WooCommerce 300K+ · 4.8★ (926) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 ↑2 3 
Country State City Dropdown CF7 5K+ · 4.9★ (30)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Color, Image & Size Swatches 200K+ · 4.6★ (51)
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (107)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too low 7 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too low 8 
Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601)
wp.org #13 ↑4 5 too low 9 
Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202)
wp.org #11 ↑3 2 too low 10 
WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312)
wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too low 11 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #16 ↑4 5 too low 12 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #20 8 too low 13 
Product Category Dropdowns 800+ · 4.7★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #5 8 too high 14 
Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525)
wp.org #19 ↓1 5 too low 15 D Dropdown Multisite Selector 900+ · 5.0★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↑1 7 too high 16 
Insert PHP Code Snippet 90K+ · 4.9★ (707)
wp.org #24 ↓3 8 too low 17 
Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 7 too high 18 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 
Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158)
wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 Navigation menu as Dropdown Widget 2K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #7 13 too high 21 
User Role Editor 700K+ · 4.5★ (288)
wp.org #21 ↑3 22 T Taxonomy Dropdown Widget 1K+ · 4.7★ (9) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓2 7 too high 23 
Ollie Menu Designer 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓3 1 too high 24 
Product Dropdown Field For Contact Form 7 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓2 7 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.