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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “footer script”

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 “footer script”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

CM Header and Footer – Add custom scripts and styles to your header and footer with ease shows at wp.org #7 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 1K+ 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

Autoptimize places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 1428 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 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1915) wp.org #1 2 Header and Footer Scripts 200K+ · 4.6★ (58) wp.org #2 3 Woody Code Snippets – Insert PHP, CSS, JS, and Header/Footer Scripts 50K+ · 4.5★ (221) wp.org #3 4 Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309) wp.org #4 5 Head & Footer Code 100K+ · 5.0★ (51) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #9 ↑3 3 too low 7 Insert Headers And Footers 200K+ · 5.0★ (135) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 FluentSnippets – High-Performance Code Snippets, Header & Footer Code, Custom CSS & PHP Code Manager 50K+ · 4.7★ (78) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Autoptimize 800K+ · 4.7★ (1428) wp.org #19 ↑2 9 too low 11 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too low 12 Orbit Fox: Duplicate Page, Menu Icons, SVG Support, Cookie Notice, Custom Fonts & More 100K+ · 4.8★ (317) wp.org #15 ↑3 3 too low 13 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #21 ↓1 8 too low 14 AddFunc Head & Footer Code 20K+ · 5.0★ (25) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Header Footer Script Adder 1K+ · 4.1★ (7) wp.org #5 11 too high 17 PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865) wp.org #22 5 too low 18 Insert Headers and Footers Code – HT Script 7K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #8 10 too high 19 S Scripts To Footer 7K+ · 4.7★ (37) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too high 20 Tracking Script Manager 2K+ · 4.1★ (7) wp.org #13 7 too high 21 Speed Up – JavaScript To Footer 1K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22 CM Header and Footer – Add custom scripts and styles to your header and footer with ease 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #7 15 too high 23 Header Footer Custom Html 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 NinjaTeam Header Footer Custom Code 200+ · 3.5★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓1

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.