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

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 navigation”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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

Navigation JHAC shows at wp.org #6 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 1680 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 Menu Icons by Themeisle – Add Icons to Navigation Menus 100K+ · 4.9★ (851) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 WP Widget in Navigation 2K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #11 ↓1 8 too low 4 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #14 10 too low 5 All-in-One Sticky Anything – Click to Call, Fixed Widget, Sticky Header, Menu & Sidebar 1K+ · 4.9★ (15) wp.org #5 6 Fixed And Sticky Header 1K+ · 3.3★ (7) wp.org #1 5 too high 7 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #19 12 too low 8 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #23 ↓2 15 too low 9 Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154) wp.org #17 8 too low 10 Pagination by BestWebSoft – Customizable WordPress Content Splitter and Navigation Plugin 5K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #15 5 too low 11 UnoDock – Mobile Bottom Navigation 700+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #4 7 too high 12 Breadcrumb NavXT 800K+ · 4.6★ (132) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 WP-PageNavi 400K+ · 4.7★ (149) wp.org #24 ↓12 11 too low 14 YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter 70K+ · 3.5★ (98) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 Better Section Navigation 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #8 ↓1 7 too high 16 Sina Extension for Elementor 40K+ · 4.9★ (35) wp.org #20 ↓1 4 too low 17 Endless Posts Navigation 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #7 ↑8 10 too high 18 Floating Button – Easily Create Sticky, Fixed & Floating Buttons 4K+ · 3.0★ (15) wp.org #13 5 too high 19 Navigation Block with Mega Menu 1K+ · 3.5★ (13) wp.org #16 3 too high 20 Bubble Menu – Floating Button Menu with Sticky Navigation 1K+ · 4.2★ (9) wp.org #22 ↓2 2 too low 21 Admin Posts Navigation 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 ↓1 12 too high 22 Admin Menus Fixed 100+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #10 ↓1 12 too high 23 Navigation JHAC 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 17 too high 24 EzzyJohn App-Style Mobile Navigation 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 3 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.