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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “light dark toggle”

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 “light dark toggle”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

AboveWP Admin Dark Mode shows at wp.org #9 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 90+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Unlimited Elements for Elementor places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme 20K+ · 4.5★ (391) wp.org #2 1 too low 2 Dark Mode Toggle 2K+ · 4.6★ (19) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 Dark Mode for WP Dashboard 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #3 4 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #7 3 too low 5 Darkify – Dark Mode & Night Mode for Website & Admin (Dark Theme Included) 1K+ · 4.7★ (27) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #17 ↑1 10 too low 8 Darklup – Enhanced WordPress Dark Mode, Dark Theme, Night Mode & Accessibility Plugin 1K+ · 4.5★ (44) wp.org #6 2 too high 9 Reviews and Rating – Google Reviews 20K+ · 4.9★ (184) wp.org #14 5 too low 10 Code Block Pro – Beautiful Syntax Highlighting 10K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too low 11 Dark Reader – Beautiful Dark Mode for any Website 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 Markdown Editor (Formerly Dark Mode) 1K+ · 3.3★ (86) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 Accessibility Widget by OneTap – Easy One-Click Accessibility Toolbar 60K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 Adminify – White Label, Admin Menu Editor, Login Customizer 6K+ · 4.3★ (109) wp.org #19 ↑1 5 too low 15 Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer 500K+ · 4.5★ (81) wp.org #18 ↓2 3 too low 16 AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #21 ↑1 5 too low 17 Web Accessibility (formally known as Ally) – WCAG Scanning, Guided Fixes, Usability Widget 500K+ · 2.9★ (162) wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too low 18 SVisciano – Light-Dark Theme Mode 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #10 8 too high 19 AboveWP Admin Dark Mode 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #9 10 too high 20 Onyx Dark Mode Switcher 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #12 8 too high 21 Dark Mode for Elementor – Global colors mapping 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 Dark Mode Toggle Block 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 ↑2 23 Mawu Dark Mode for the Admin Dashboard, Editor & Website 10+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #24 ↓5 1 too low 24 DarkAdmin – Dark Mode for Adminpanel 100+ · 3.0★ (1) wp.org #15 9 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.