wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “inline widgets”

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 “inline widgets”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

MrSeokar Inline Related Products for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 100+ 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

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy places #10 on merit, 5.0★ from 4625 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.

merit plugin signals wp.org

SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #1 2

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #2 3

LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #7 3 too low 5

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191) wp.org #9 2 too low 8

Element Pack Addons for Elementor – MCP & AI-Ready Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates, Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.7★ (284) wp.org #12 4 too low 9

Image Widget 100K+ · 4.9★ (287) wp.org #13 4 too low 10

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #18 8 too low 11

Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #16 5 too low 12

Astra Widgets 200K+ · 3.9★ (17) host-installed base thin reviews wp.org #3 9 too high 13

SVG Support 1M+ · 4.8★ (356) wp.org #11 2 too high 14

ShopEngine – All-in-One Elementor WooCommerce Builder with eCommerce Templates & Woo Widgets 100K+ · 4.6★ (212) wp.org #15 1 too low 15

WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4229) wp.org #20 ↑2 5 too low 16

Poptin – Email Marketing Automation, Newsletter & Exit Pop Ups, Email Popups 20K+ · 4.9★ (701) wp.org #22 6 too low 17

Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212) wp.org #17 18

Autoptimize 800K+ · 4.7★ (1428) wp.org #21 3 too low 19

Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #23 ↓3 4 too low 20

Timeline Widget For Elementor (Elementor Timeline, Vertical & Horizontal Timeline) 70K+ · 4.8★ (248) wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21

Currency Converter Widget 2K+ · 4.9★ (88) wp.org #19 2 too high 22

Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (79) wp.org #14 8 too high 23

MrSeokar Inline Related Products for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #8 15 too high 24

Inline Context – Footnotes, Tooltips & Glossary Notes 40+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #10 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.