wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “large menu”
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 “large menu”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Menu Visibility Control shows at wp.org #4 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 700+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy places #6 on merit, 5.0★ from 4625 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #1 2 
WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100)
wp.org #2 3 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41)
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #11 ↑2 5 too low 7 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #13 ↓3 4 too low 10 
WPB Accordion Menu – Collapsible Vertical Sidebar Responsive Mobile Menu – WooCommerce Category Accordion 10K+ · 4.4★ (54)
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #16 5 too low 12 
Food Menu – Restaurant Menu & Online Ordering for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #7 5 too high 13 
QuadMenu – Mega Menu 10K+ · 4.5★ (270)
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #18 4 too low 15 
Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212)
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 
Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406)
wp.org #24 ↓1 8 too low 17 
WPCafe – Restaurant Menu, Online Food Ordering & Table Booking System 5K+ · 4.6★ (113)
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 
Index WP MySQL For Speed 50K+ · 4.8★ (99)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
Adminify – White Label, Admin Menu Editor, Login Customizer 6K+ · 4.3★ (109)
wp.org #19 20 Menu Visibility Control 700+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #4 16 too high 21 
Groovy Menu Plugin (Free) 4K+ · 3.6★ (25)
wp.org #12 9 too high 22 
Advanced Menu Manager Pro – Built for Content-heavy WordPress Sites to Add, Filter, Lock, and Edit Menus Easily 400+ · 3.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 
Menu Caching 400+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #15 8 too high 24 
Menu Backup & Restore + Import/Export 500+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #17 7 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.