wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “elementor plugins”

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 “elementor plugins”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 6 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

Cool FormKit Lite – Advanced Form Builder for Elementor shows at wp.org #17 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 25 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1281 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #1 2

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current wp.org #2 3

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #3 4

Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #4 5

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #5 6

Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #6 7

Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #7 ↑4 8

HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #18 9 too low 10

Qi Addons For Elementor 200K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11

All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #13 ↓4 2 too low 12

Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too high 13

Make Column Clickable for Elementor 100K+ · 4.9★ (53) wp.org #11 2 too high 14

Payment Plugins for PayPal WooCommerce 80K+ · 4.8★ (127) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 4 too high 15

Sticky Header Effects for Elementor 300K+ · 4.5★ (69) wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too high 16

Timeline Widget For Elementor (Elementor Timeline, Vertical & Horizontal Timeline) 70K+ · 4.8★ (248) wp.org #22 ↓4 6 too low 17

Activity Log – Monitor User and Agent Changes 200K+ · 4.3★ (74) wp.org #15 2 too high 18

Dynific Addons for Elementor (formerly Anywhere Elementor) 70K+ · 4.8★ (104) wp.org #24 ↓2 6 too low 19

Visibility Logic for Elementor 20K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #23 ↓2 4 too low 20

Events Widgets For Elementor And The Events Calendar 10K+ · 4.5★ (108) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #19 1 too high 21

Sina Extension for Elementor 40K+ · 4.9★ (35) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 ↓3 5 too high 22

Dynamic Visibility for Elementor 50K+ · 4.6★ (89) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too high 23

Cool FormKit Lite – Advanced Form Builder for Elementor 20K+ · 4.6★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24

Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (79) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #20 ↓8 4 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.