wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “loading screens”
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 “loading screens”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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 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
Ipp Simple Loading shows at wp.org #12 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 40+ 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
Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 2433 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Loading Page with Loading Screen 10K+ · 4.6★ (124)
wp.org #1 2 
Embed Plus for YouTube Gallery, Livestream and Lazy Loading with Facades 100K+ · 4.6★ (572)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Speculative Loading 70K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #10 4 too low 7 
Disable Lazy Load 9K+ · 4.5★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #3 4 too high 8 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
Ajaxify Comments – Ajax and Lazy Loading Comments 3K+ · 4.8★ (91)
wp.org #6 3 too high 10 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 
Classic Editor 8M+ · 4.9★ (1251)
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433)
wp.org #22 10 too low 13 
Jetpack Boost – Website Speed, Performance and Critical CSS 200K+ · 4.7★ (612)
wp.org #21 8 too low 14 
Embed YouTube Block – Fast Loading Videos, Shorts & Playlists 6K+ · 5.0★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #8 6 too high 15 
Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
Optimole – Optimize Images | Convert WebP & AVIF | CDN & Lazy Load | Image Optimization 200K+ · 4.7★ (640)
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #15 2 too high 18 
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463) not PHP-current
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
LoftLoader 70K+ · 4.5★ (33)
wp.org #11 8 too high 20 
ThumbPress – Compress Images, Manage Thumbnails, Detect Image Issues, WebP/AVIF, Lazy Loading, Hotlinking & More 20K+ · 3.7★ (117)
wp.org #16 4 too high 21 
Add to Home Screen & Progressive Web App 1K+ · 3.7★ (25)
wp.org #18 3 too high 22 Ipp Simple Loading 40+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #12 10 too high 23 J jQuery Image Lazy Load WP 700+ · 3.1★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 
WP Page Loading 700+ · 4.5★ (4) 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.