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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “info bar”

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 “info bar”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 2 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

Server Info – System Health & Diagnostics Suite shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.8★ average from 12 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 2051 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236) wp.org #1 2 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #2 ↑2 3 WP Last Modified Info 40K+ · 4.9★ (855) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4 My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) 100K+ · 4.9★ (1199) wp.org #9 5 too low 5 Version Info – Server Health Monitor, PHP & MySQL Version Display, Environment Indicators 10K+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Top Bar 10K+ · 4.0★ (43) wp.org #4 ↓2 2 too high 7 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #11 ↑1 4 too low 8 Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #5 ↑2 3 too high 9 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #18 9 too low 10 Speed Contact Bar 4K+ · 4.6★ (56) wp.org #10 11 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #21 ↑1 10 too low 12 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #17 5 too low 13 atec Cache Info 1K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #7 ↓1 6 too high 14 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #23 ↓2 9 too low 15 HashBar – Announcement, Notification Bar & Popup Campaign 9K+ · 4.2★ (38) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 Meta Generator and Version Info Remover 10K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #16 ↓1 17 Server Info – System Health & Diagnostics Suite 3K+ · 3.8★ (12) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 Black Bar 500+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #22 ↓2 4 too low 19 atec System Info 200+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 Hostinger Tools 3M+ · 3.5★ (40) wp.org #19 ↓2 1 too high 21 Catch Scroll Progress Bar 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 ElasticPress Debugging Add-On 800+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 WBD Progress Bar For Gutenberg 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #15 ↑4 8 too high 24 Display Server Info 100+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓4 4 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.