wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “header plugin”
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 plugin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 3 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
Header Footer Builder for Elementor shows at wp.org #10 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 14 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
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 4228 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.
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #1 2 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #2 3 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #3 4 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Sticky Header Effects for Elementor 300K+ · 4.5★ (69)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309) not PHP-current
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #9 ↑1 2 too low 8 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 
Payment Plugins for Stripe WooCommerce 100K+ · 4.8★ (303) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
FluentSMTP – WP Mail SMTP Plugin with Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, Postmark, Cloudflare, toSend, Gmail and Any SMTP 700K+ · 4.8★ (410)
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 
Download Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (27)
wp.org #7 4 too high 12 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #19 ↓1 7 too low 13 
Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763)
wp.org #22 9 too low 14 
Header and Footer Scripts 200K+ · 4.6★ (58)
wp.org #11 3 too high 15 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #15 16 
Insert Headers And Footers 200K+ · 5.0★ (135)
wp.org #24 ↓1 8 too low 17 
HTTP Headers 40K+ · 4.3★ (70)
wp.org #17 ↓1 18 W WP Display Header 7K+ · 4.5★ (27)
wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too high 19 U Unique Headers 10K+ · 4.9★ (160) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #20 21 
Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑3 5 too high 22 
Plugin Organizer 10K+ · 4.7★ (227) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↑1 1 too low 23 
WP Header Images 4K+ · 4.4★ (35)
wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Header Footer Builder for Elementor 30K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 14 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.