wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “header scripts”
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 scripts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
CM Header and Footer – Add custom scripts and styles to your header and footer with ease shows at wp.org #9 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 2433 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Header and Footer Scripts 200K+ · 4.6★ (58)
wp.org #1 2 
Header Footer Code Manager 600K+ · 4.9★ (309)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Woody Code Snippets – Insert PHP, CSS, JS, and Header/Footer Scripts 50K+ · 4.5★ (221)
wp.org #4 5 
Insert Headers And Footers 200K+ · 5.0★ (135)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433)
wp.org #18 ↑3 12 too low 7 
HTTP Headers 40K+ · 4.3★ (70)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #16 ↓1 8 too low 9 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #17 ↓1 8 too low 10 
Vigilant – 100% Free Security Suite: Firewall, 2FA, Login, Headers, Scanner… 3K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
PDF Invoices & Packing Slips for WooCommerce 300K+ · 5.0★ (1865)
wp.org #20 ↓3 9 too low 12 
FluentSnippets – High-Performance Code Snippets, Header & Footer Code, Custom CSS & PHP Code Manager 50K+ · 4.7★ (78)
wp.org #12 ↑2 13 
My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) 100K+ · 4.9★ (1199)
wp.org #24 ↓1 11 too low 14 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #22 ↑2 8 too low 15 
Header Footer Script Adder 1K+ · 4.1★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑1 10 too high 16 S Scripts To Footer 7K+ · 4.7★ (37)
wp.org #13 ↓2 3 too high 17 
Insert Headers and Footers Code – HT Script 7K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #10 7 too high 18 
Security Header Generator 400+ · 4.9★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑1 7 too high 19 
Pixel Cat – Conversion Pixel Manager 40K+ · 4.0★ (41)
wp.org #23 ↓3 4 too low 20 
Sticky Header 2020 600+ · 4.3★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #14 6 too high 21 CM Header and Footer – Add custom scripts and styles to your header and footer with ease 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #9 12 too high 22 
Fixed And Sticky Header 1K+ · 3.3★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 
Header Enhancement 500+ · 3.5★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too high 24 
Header Footer Custom Html 1K+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓2 3 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.