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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “menu systems”

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 “menu systems”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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

Restaurant Menu and Food Ordering shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 15 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) – Quiz Maker & Survey Maker places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 1282 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 ↑1 2 Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219) wp.org #3 4 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #4 5 Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41) wp.org #5 6 QuadMenu – Mega Menu 10K+ · 4.5★ (270) wp.org #11 ↑1 5 too low 7 D Duplicate Menu 100K+ · 4.6★ (104) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Iks Menu – WordPress Category Accordion Menu & FAQs 10K+ · 5.0★ (27) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228) wp.org #16 ↑3 7 too low 10 Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586) wp.org #15 ↑2 5 too low 11 Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) – Quiz Maker & Survey Maker 40K+ · 4.7★ (1282) wp.org #24 13 too low 12 WPCafe – Restaurant Menu, Online Food Ordering & Table Booking System 5K+ · 4.6★ (113) wp.org #14 ↑2 2 too low 13 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) wp.org #20 ↑2 7 too low 14 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #19 ↑1 5 too low 15 Ollie Menu Designer 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #6 9 too high 16 Five Star Restaurant Menu and Food Ordering 5K+ · 4.6★ (107) wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too high 17 Food Menu – Restaurant Menu & Online Ordering for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too high 18 Fluent Support – Helpdesk & Customer Support Ticket System 10K+ · 4.6★ (69) wp.org #22 ↑1 4 too low 19 WP Booking System – Booking Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (344) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 Restaurant Menu and Food Ordering 2K+ · 4.5★ (15) wp.org #8 12 too high 21 Import Export Menu 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) wp.org #10 ↑1 11 too high 22 Fullscreen Menu 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #18 ↓3 4 too high 23 Groovy Menu Plugin (Free) 4K+ · 3.6★ (25) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 Bulk Menu Edit 700+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #21 3 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.