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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “javascript slider”

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 “javascript slider”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Serious Slider shows at wp.org #11 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.4★ average from 8 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 #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ · 4.6★ (742) wp.org #1 2 Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125) wp.org #2 3 Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (235) wp.org #3 4 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #6 ↑17 2 too low 5 Master Slider – Responsive Touch Slider 60K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Prime Slider – Hero Slider, Carousel, WooCommerce & Post Slider Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.5★ (82) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Ultimate Responsive Image Slider 30K+ · 4.5★ (248) wp.org #7 ↑4 8 WP Google Review Slider 30K+ · 4.9★ (373) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too low 9 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #14 ↓6 5 too low 10 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too low 11 Carousel Slider 30K+ · 4.3★ (160) wp.org #8 ↓2 3 too high 12 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #22 ↓2 10 too low 13 Product Gallery Slider, Additional Variation Images for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (160) wp.org #20 ↓2 7 too low 14 Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 Super block slider – Image/video background & content slider 8K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too high 16 Product Category Slider & Grid for WooCommerce – Reno Product Category 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too low 17 B Before After Image Comparison Slider for Elementor 10K+ · 4.4★ (96) wp.org #24 ↓2 7 too low 18 Social Slider Feed – Social Media Feed & Gallery Widgets 10K+ · 3.9★ (127) wp.org #23 ↓2 5 too low 19 T Testimonial Slider 3K+ · 4.2★ (69) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 Slider Hero with Video Background, Animation 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too low 21 Wonder Slider Lite 8K+ · 4.2★ (24) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 Accordion Slider 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #12 ↑1 10 too high 23 Serious Slider 20K+ · 3.4★ (8) wp.org #11 ↓1 12 too high 24 Makeiteasy Slider 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #19 ↓2 5 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.