wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “group menu”
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 “group menu”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Button Group shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 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
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 7519 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #1 2 
Menu Icons by Themeisle – Add Icons to Navigation Menus 100K+ · 4.9★ (851)
wp.org #2 3 
Groups – Memberships and Access Control 10K+ · 4.8★ (382)
wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4 
Iks Menu – WordPress Category Accordion Menu & FAQs 10K+ · 5.0★ (27)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142)
wp.org #5 ↑1 6 
WP Bottom Menu 20K+ · 4.5★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #4 2 too high 7 
BuddyPress 90K+ · 4.1★ (375)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
ProfileGrid – User Profiles, Groups and Communities 5K+ · 4.6★ (236) not PHP-current
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #13 3 too low 11 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too low 12 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #17 5 too low 13 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #23 10 too low 14 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #18 4 too low 15 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) not PHP-current
wp.org #24 9 too low 16 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #22 6 too low 17 
PublishPress Tag Groups: Stylish Displays For Your Tags and Categories 3K+ · 4.8★ (57)
wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too high 18 
Plugin Groups 1K+ · 4.3★ (31) not PHP-current
wp.org #12 6 too high 19 
WUPO Group Attributes for WooCommerce 400+ · 3.6★ (14) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #11 8 too high 20 
Groups 404 Redirect 1K+ · 4.6★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #19 1 too high 21 
Missing Menu Items 100+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #21 22 Button Group 100+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #9 13 too high 23 
Menu Item Types 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 
FOXPOST – Packeta Group 400+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #14 10 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.