wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “free preloader”
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 “free preloader”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
BH Custom CSS3 Preloader – Just play and play shows at wp.org #3 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 700+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.8★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode Page & Under Construction places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 317 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Safelayout Cute Preloader – CSS3 WordPress Preloader 10K+ · 5.0★ (84)
wp.org #1 2 
AI-Powered Carousel, Slider, Video & Photo Gallery Blocks by WP Carousel 60K+ · 4.7★ (434)
wp.org #4 ↑3 2 too low 3 
Preloader 10K+ · 4.1★ (41)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Real Testimonials – Testimonial Slider, Collect Customer Reviews and Video Testimonials 40K+ · 4.7★ (226)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
Super Page Cache – Cloudflare Cache, Page Speed & Core Web Vitals 70K+ · 4.8★ (517)
wp.org #8 ↑2 3 too low 6 
Logo Carousel – Responsive Logo Slider, Logo Showcase, and Clients Logo Gallery 20K+ · 4.7★ (162)
wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too low 7 
Easy Accordion – AI-Powered FAQ & Accordion Blocks, Product FAQ 70K+ · 4.9★ (358)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Custom Product Tabs for WooCommerce & WordPress Tabs Builder – Smart Tabs 10K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #10 ↓2 2 too low 9 
Responsive Team Members Showcase, Team Grid, Team Slider, and Staff List – Smart Team (formerly WP Team) 5K+ · 4.7★ (92)
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 
FiboSearch – Ajax Search for WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.9★ (1815) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 8 too low 11 Coming Soon & Maintenance Mode Page & Under Construction 10K+ · 4.8★ (317)
wp.org #22 ↑2 11 too low 12 
Live Composer – Free WordPress Website Builder 10K+ · 4.4★ (212) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
Groovy Menu Plugin (Free) 4K+ · 3.6★ (25)
wp.org #6 7 too high 14 
The Plus Addons for Elementor – Mega Menu, Header Footer, Post Grid, AI Widgets & Templates 100K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #23 9 too low 15 BH Custom CSS3 Preloader – Just play and play 700+ · 3.8★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #3 12 too high 16 
LoftLoader 70K+ · 4.5★ (33)
wp.org #13 3 too high 17 
YMC Filter 4K+ · 4.8★ (34)
wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too high 18 
Logo Slider WP – Responsive Logo Carousel, Logo Gallery & Logo Showcase 10K+ · 4.5★ (61)
wp.org #21 ↓1 3 too low 19 
Video Popup – Video Lightbox for YouTube, Vimeo & MP4 10K+ · 4.5★ (43)
wp.org #19 20 
Tarot, Oracle cards, Tarot readings, Tarokina 300+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #17 3 too high 21 
Ocean Extra 400K+ · 3.3★ (67)
wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too high 22 
Sina Extension for Elementor 40K+ · 4.9★ (35) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too high 23 
UiCore Animate – Free Animations, Transitions, and Interactions Addon for Elementor & Gutenberg blocks 40K+ · 3.2★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 9 too high 24 
Asset Preloader: preload the assets only on the pages where you need it 50+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
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.