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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “mega store”

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 “mega store”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

HT Menu – WordPress Mega Menu Builder for Elementor shows at wp.org #12 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.8★ average from 9 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 8708 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #1 2 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 HT Mega Addons for Elementor – Elementor Widgets & Template Builder 60K+ · 4.1★ (66) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #4 1 too high 6 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #8 ↓3 2 too low 7 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #7 ↑1 8 The Plus Addons for Elementor – Mega Menu, Header Footer, Post Grid, AI Widgets & Templates 100K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9 Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 ShopLentor – All-in-One WooCommerce Growth & Store Enhancement Plugin 80K+ · 4.5★ (278) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11 Mega Forms – Drag & Drop Form Builder with Multi-Step & Conditional Logic 200+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #6 5 too high 12 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #24 ↓1 12 too low 13 Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #16 ↑8 3 too low 14 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #23 ↓5 9 too low 15 Whols – Wholesale Prices and B2B Store Solution for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #14 ↑1 1 too high 16 Mega Cache 50+ · 4.7★ (7) wp.org #11 5 too high 17 Insert Headers and Footers Code – HT Script 7K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too low 18 Spexo Addons for Elementor – Elementor Widgets, Mega Menu, Popup Builder, Template Kits and Starter Templates for Elementor 6K+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too high 19 HT Menu – WordPress Mega Menu Builder for Elementor 3K+ · 2.8★ (9) wp.org #12 ↑1 7 too high 20 RTMKit for Elementor – Modular Addons, Widgets, Templates, Icon Library, GSAP Animations, MCP & Store Ready 40K+ · 2.7★ (16) wp.org #21 1 too low 21 MEGA AI 200+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 HT Mega – Absolute Addons for WPBakery Page Builder 800+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 Themebeez Toolkit 8K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 eCommerce Companion 6K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 2 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.