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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “layer 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 “layer slider”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Xpro Slider For Beaver Builder – Lite shows at wp.org #5 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 1667 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. 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★ (743) wp.org #1 2 Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125) wp.org #2 3 Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (236) wp.org #3 4 Master Slider – Responsive Touch Slider 60K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #4 5 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #11 6 too low 6 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #13 7 too low 7 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #14 7 too low 8 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #15 ↑1 7 too low 9 Slider Hero with Video Background, Animation 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #8 1 too high 10 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #18 ↑2 8 too low 11 TranslatePress – Translate Multilingual sites with AI Translation 400K+ · 4.7★ (1667) wp.org #23 12 too low 12 Qi Addons For Elementor 200K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #20 ↑1 8 too low 13 Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #21 8 too low 14 Accordion Slider 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #6 8 too high 15 Ultimate Maps by Supsystic – OpenStreetMap, Leaflet & Mapbox, No API Key 10K+ · 4.6★ (86) wp.org #22 ↑2 7 too low 16 bSlider – Build Sliders That Bring Your Content to Life 5K+ · 4.0★ (11) wp.org #7 9 too high 17 Slider Pro 4K+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #12 5 too high 18 Responsive Slider Gallery – Responsive Image Photo Slider 2K+ · 4.5★ (13) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 Responsive Slideshow – Photo Carousel 2K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too high 20 GIGA Slider 100+ · 4.3★ (18) wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Xpro Slider For Beaver Builder – Lite 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 16 too high 22 Cinza Slider 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too high 23 General Slider 30+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Image Slider Slideshow 2K+ · 4.0★ (2) wp.org #9 15 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.