Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 mode”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites shows at wp.org #5 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 15 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

AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 874 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. 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 #1 2 Dark Mode for WP Dashboard 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #2 3 Website Builder by SeedProd — Theme Builder, Landing Page Builder, Coming Soon Page, Maintenance Mode 600K+ · 4.9★ (4699) wp.org #8 ↑3 5 too low 4 Dark Mode Toggle 2K+ · 4.6★ (19) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Darkify – Dark Mode & Night Mode for Website & Admin (Dark Theme Included) 1K+ · 4.7★ (27) wp.org #7 ↑3 2 too low 6 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #21 15 too low 7 Payment Gateway for Redsys & WooCommerce Lite 20K+ · 4.9★ (87) wp.org #10 ↓2 3 too low 8 ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #20 12 too low 9 DarkLooks – Dark Mode Switcher For WordPress 800+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #9 ↓2 10 Tutor LMS – eLearning and online course solution 100K+ · 4.4★ (590) wp.org #24 ↓6 14 too low 11 Relevanssi Light 600+ · 4.6★ (7) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 Coming Soon Maintenance Mode 6K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #4 8 too high 13 OpenStation – Admin Dashboard Notes, Custom Dashboard, AI Assistant & PWA 1K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 Darklup – Enhanced WordPress Dark Mode, Dark Theme, Night Mode & Accessibility Plugin 1K+ · 4.5★ (44) wp.org #12 ↓3 2 too high 15 AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #22 ↓2 7 too low 16 Markdown Editor (Formerly Dark Mode) 1K+ · 3.3★ (86) wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too low 17 Personio Integration Light 200+ · 4.9★ (7) wp.org #11 ↑2 6 too high 18 AEO God Mode – AI Search Visibility 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too high 19 Labinator Minimal Maintenance Mode 100+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 20 Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 15 too high 21 SVisciano – Light-Dark Theme Mode 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 5 too high 22 Dark Mode for Elementor – Global colors mapping 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #14 ↑5 8 too high 23 AboveWP Admin Dark Mode 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too high 24 Browser Theme Color – Address Bar Color & Dark Mode 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #23 ↓2 1 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.