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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “header 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 “header menu”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 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

Header Footer Builder for Elementor shows at wp.org #10 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 30K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 612 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #1 2 Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763) wp.org #2 3 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Sticky Header Effects for Elementor 300K+ · 4.5★ (69) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574) wp.org #7 8 WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256) wp.org #8 9 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #9 10 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #12 2 too low 11 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #11 12 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 Menu Cart for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.6★ (99) wp.org #18 5 too low 14 Header and Footer Scripts 200K+ · 4.6★ (58) wp.org #14 15 Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Simple Floating Menu 10K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #23 7 too low 17 W WP Display Header 7K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 WP Header Images 4K+ · 4.4★ (35) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 All-in-One Sticky Anything – Click to Call, Fixed Widget, Sticky Header, Menu & Sidebar 1K+ · 4.9★ (15) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 WP Bottom Menu 20K+ · 4.5★ (23) wp.org #21 22 Header Footer Builder for Elementor 30K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #10 12 too high 23 Ollie Menu Designer 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #15 8 too high 24 Sticky Elementor – Sticky Header, Menu Color After Sticky, Logo Swap & Back to Top Button 600+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 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.