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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “layered navigation”

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 “layered navigation”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Classic Addons – WPBakery Page Builder shows at wp.org #6 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 3K+ 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

ShiftNav – Responsive Mobile Menu places #7 on merit, 4.6★ from 68 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 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter 70K+ · 3.5★ (98) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) wp.org #5 6 aBlocks – Gutenberg Blocks, User Dashboard Builder, Popup Builder, Form Builder & Animation Builder 2K+ · 5.0★ (26) wp.org #7 ↑2 1 too low 7 ShiftNav – Responsive Mobile Menu 10K+ · 4.6★ (68) wp.org #23 ↓1 16 too low 8 Variation Swatches for WooCommerce Stores 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 Turbo Addons Elementor 3K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #8 ↑2 1 too high 10 OnSale Page for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.5★ (26) wp.org #19 ↑1 9 too low 11 Nexter Extension – Security, Performance, Code Snippets & Site Toolkit 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #18 ↑1 7 too low 12 bBlocks – Essential Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns Collection 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #14 2 too low 13 Easy Tabs Block – Smart, Lightweight & Responsive Tabs for the Block Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too high 14 Pixel Gallery Addons for Elementor 4K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too low 15 Atlant Security 700+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 DesignSetGo 8K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #15 ↑2 1 too high 17 Classic Addons – WPBakery Page Builder 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 11 too high 18 FrontBlocks Site Tools 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 EffortLess Layered Menu Visibility — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #10 ↑1 9 too high 20 UiCore Blocks – Free WordPress Gutenberg Blocks 500+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #16 4 too high 21 Wow Sliders Addons for Elementor 30+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #12 ↑1 9 too high 22 OffCanvas / Drawer – add sleek slide-in panels to any page 900+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↑2 9 too high 23 Accordion FAQ – FAQ Schema, Block & Shortcode with Live Search 100+ · 3.3★ (4) wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too high 24 King Addons for Elementor – 100+ Elementor Widgets, 4 000+ Elementor Templates, WooCommerce Builder, Mega Menu, Popup Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓13 4 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.