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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “give addon”

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 “give addon”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

File Uploads Addon for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #13 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 27 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #3 4 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #4 5 Addon Elements for Elementor (formerly Elementor Addon Elements) 80K+ · 4.8★ (172) wp.org #5 6 Image Hover Effects – Elementor Addon 40K+ · 4.9★ (83) wp.org #6 7 Qi Addons For Elementor 200K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #7 8 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too low 9 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too low 11 Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too high 12 Ultimate Addons for Beaver Builder (UABB) 20K+ · 5.0★ (332) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 GutenKit – Page Builder Blocks, Patterns, and Templates for Gutenberg Block Editor 80K+ · 4.5★ (48) wp.org #8 5 too high 14 Exclusive Addons for Elementor 50K+ · 4.7★ (47) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15 Element Pack Addons for Elementor – MCP & AI-Ready Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates, Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.7★ (284) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 PowerPack Addons for Elementor: Widgets, Form Styler and Templates 70K+ · 4.8★ (361) wp.org #20 4 too low 17 Animation Addons – Elementor Addons, GSAP Animations, Elementor V4 Atomic Widgets & Elementor Templates 10K+ · 4.6★ (66) wp.org #18 1 too low 18 Dynific Addons for Elementor (formerly Anywhere Elementor) 70K+ · 4.8★ (104) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 File Uploads Addon for WooCommerce 4K+ · 3.7★ (27) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 Superb Addons: Blocks, Patterns, Pre-built Pages, Sliders, Popups, Free Forms, Animations & More 80K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Xpro Addons — 150+ Widgets for Elementor 40K+ · 4.4★ (28) wp.org #21 22 aThemes Addons for Elementor – Widgets & Elementor Addons 7K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 The Pack Elementor addon 2K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 Tutor LMS Elementor Addons 30K+ · 3.5★ (8) wp.org #23 1 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.