wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “keyboard”
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 “keyboard”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 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
MouseWheel Smooth Scroll shows at wp.org #8 but places #12 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its 90K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 44 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Loco Translate 1M+ · 4.8★ (453)
wp.org #1 2 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #2 3 
TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #3 4 
The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) not PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑8 1 too low 5 
Make Column Clickable for Elementor 100K+ · 4.9★ (53)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #9 ↑6 3 too low 7 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #7 ↓3 8 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874)
wp.org #11 ↑3 2 too low 10 
Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574)
wp.org #10 11 
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #14 ↓3 3 too low 12 MouseWheel Smooth Scroll 90K+ · 4.5★ (44)
wp.org #8 ↓3 4 too high 13 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #12 ↑4 1 too high 14 
File Manager 1M+ · 4.6★ (1492)
wp.org #15 ↓7 1 too low 15 
WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68)
wp.org #13 2 too high 16 
User Switching 200K+ · 4.9★ (238)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
FileOrganizer – WordPress File Manager 200K+ · 4.8★ (49)
wp.org #16 ↓9 1 too high 18 
Accessibility Widget by OneTap – Easy One-Click Accessibility Toolbar 60K+ · 4.9★ (80)
wp.org #23 ↓11 5 too low 19 
Smooth Back To Top Button 40K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #18 1 too high 20 S Simple Lightbox 100K+ · 4.3★ (239) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↓7 3 too high 21 
AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36)
wp.org #19 ↓10 2 too high 22 M Mesmerize Companion 50K+ · 4.4★ (51)
wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too high 23 
Web Accessibility (formally known as Ally) – WCAG Scanning, Guided Fixes, Usability Widget 500K+ · 2.9★ (162)
wp.org #22 1 too high 24 M Materialis Companion 6K+ · 4.7★ (10) 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.