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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “fixed bar”

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 “fixed bar”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 3 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

WPC Free Shipping Bar for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #11 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 1205 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 WPFront Notification Bar 40K+ · 4.5★ (131) wp.org #1 2 Debug Bar 20K+ · 4.1★ (69) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) 100K+ · 4.9★ (1199) wp.org #8 ↓4 5 too low 4 Fixed Bottom Menu 4K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 Speed Contact Bar 4K+ · 4.6★ (56) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) wp.org #9 ↓4 3 too low 7 Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #4 ↑3 3 too high 8 Mobile Contact Bar 9K+ · 4.6★ (30) wp.org #6 ↑2 2 too high 9 EU Cookies Bar for WordPress 9K+ · 4.8★ (26) wp.org #7 ↑3 2 too high 10 Progress Bar 1K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #10 ↑2 11 Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) wp.org #19 8 too low 12 Notibar – Notification Bar for WordPress 8K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 HashBar – Announcement, Notification Bar & Popup Campaign 9K+ · 4.2★ (38) wp.org #12 ↓3 1 too high 14 Menu Cart for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.6★ (99) wp.org #22 ↓5 8 too low 15 Auto Hide Admin Bar 3K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #15 16 Hide Admin Bar from Non-Admins 10K+ · 4.3★ (30) wp.org #17 ↑2 1 too low 17 Easy Notification Bar 9K+ · 4.6★ (16) wp.org #13 ↓2 4 too high 18 Top Bar 10K+ · 4.0★ (43) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too high 19 Freetop – Free Shipping Bar for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (40) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 WPC Free Shipping Bar for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #11 ↑3 10 too high 22 Notice Bar 700+ · 3.6★ (9) wp.org #20 2 too high 23 Catch Scroll Progress Bar 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #23 ↓1 24 Admin Menus Fixed 100+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #24

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.