Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “free widgets”

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 widgets”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 5 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

Essential Widgets shows at wp.org #13 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.5★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Translate WordPress with GTranslate places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 4962 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #1 2 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #2 3 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #3 ↑5 4 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #6 7 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #7 ↓4 8 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #17 9 too low 9 AI-Powered Carousel, Slider, Video & Photo Gallery Blocks by WP Carousel 60K+ · 4.7★ (434) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 Widgets for Reviews & Recommendations 8K+ · 4.6★ (98) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too low 11 Xpro Theme Builder For Elementor – FREE 20K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #8 ↑2 3 too high 12 Widgets for Airbnb Reviews 6K+ · 4.6★ (60) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 Real Testimonials – Testimonial Slider, Collect Customer Reviews and Video Testimonials 40K+ · 4.7★ (226) wp.org #23 ↓8 10 too low 14 Free Shipping Label and Progress Bar for WooCommerce 5K+ · 5.0★ (43) wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too high 15 Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 WP Tripadvisor Review Widgets 20K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #22 6 too low 17 Widgets for Booking.com Reviews 9K+ · 4.9★ (65) wp.org #24 ↓1 7 too low 18 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 Free Shipping Bar: Amount Left for Free Shipping for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (26) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 Astra Widgets 200K+ · 3.9★ (17) wp.org #10 ↑1 10 too high 21 Classic Editor and Classic Widgets 20K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #19 2 too high 22 WPC Free Shipping Bar for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.2★ (13) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Free Widgets For Elementor 40+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 7 too high 24 Essential Widgets 10K+ · 3.5★ (2) wp.org #13 ↑1 11 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.