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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “hamburger”

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

WP Hamburger shows at wp.org #7 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 90+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.6★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Unlimited Elements for Elementor places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 522 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 Responsive Menu – Create Mobile-Friendly Menu 70K+ · 4.5★ (573) wp.org #1 2 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2045) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 Options for Twenty Twenty-One 6K+ · 4.9★ (64) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #4 ↓2 5 Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 Options for Twenty Seventeen 8K+ · 4.8★ (57) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Simple Floating Menu 10K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (522) wp.org #19 10 too low 10 SideMenu 900+ · 4.8★ (25) wp.org #10 ↓1 11 Fullscreen Menu 2K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #9 ↑4 2 too high 12 WPB Accordion Menu – Collapsible Vertical Sidebar Responsive Mobile Menu – WooCommerce Category Accordion 10K+ · 4.4★ (54) wp.org #12 13 Options for Twenty Twenty 3K+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too low 14 Xpro Theme Builder For Elementor – FREE 20K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #15 ↑2 1 too low 15 Content Blocks Builder – Create blocks, repeater blocks with carousel, grid, popup layouts 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) wp.org #24 ↓2 9 too low 16 Header Footer Builder for Elementor 30K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #14 ↓3 2 too high 17 Groovy Menu Plugin (Free) 4K+ · 3.6★ (25) wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too low 18 VikRestaurants Table Reservations and Take-Away 600+ · 4.8★ (10) wp.org #21 ↓1 3 too low 19 Navigation Block with Mega Menu 1K+ · 3.5★ (13) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 Dynamic Header & Navigation for Block Themes 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #16 ↓2 4 too high 21 UnoDock – Mobile Bottom Navigation 600+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 WP Hamburger 90+ · 2.6★ (5) wp.org #7 15 too high 23 Toast Mobile Menu – Fast & Lightweight Responsive Navigation 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓3 5 too high 24 Slidey Panel 20+ · 5.0★ (1) 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.