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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “modal window”

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 “modal window”, 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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.

Ranked above its merit

Lightweight Cookie Notice – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent shows at wp.org #13 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Quiz Maker by AYS places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 601 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Ocean Modal Window 10K+ · 4.8★ (11) wp.org #1 2 Easy Modal 7K+ · 4.4★ (124) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Popup Box – Create Countdown, Coupon, Video, Contact Form Popups 50K+ · 4.6★ (82) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Modal Window – create popup modal window 10K+ · 3.8★ (36) wp.org #2 2 too high 5 AJAX Login and Registration modal popup + inline form 3K+ · 4.7★ (120) wp.org #6 ↑6 1 too low 6 Media Library Assistant 70K+ · 4.8★ (202) wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7 Osom Modal Login 400+ · 5.0★ (15) wp.org #5 2 too high 8 Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601) wp.org #22 14 too low 9 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #23 14 too low 10 Popup Box – Easily Create WordPress Popups 6K+ · 5.0★ (11) wp.org #7 ↑1 3 too high 11 Quick View For WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (99) wp.org #17 ↑3 6 too low 12 YITH WooCommerce Quick View 80K+ · 3.8★ (27) wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too high 13 ACF Frontend Admin by DynamiApps 8K+ · 4.5★ (160) wp.org #19 ↓5 6 too low 14 Manual Image Crop 7K+ · 4.1★ (56) wp.org #14 ↑1 15 Modal Dialog 500+ · 4.4★ (16) wp.org #10 ↓4 5 too high 16 Hover Effects – easily create any hover effect 7K+ · 4.8★ (17) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too high 17 YITH WooCommerce Ajax Product Filter 70K+ · 3.5★ (98) wp.org #16 ↑2 1 too high 18 MetaSlider Gallery – Image Gallery, Lightbox Galleries, Video Galleries 10K+ · 4.4★ (9) wp.org #11 ↓2 7 too high 19 Exit Popup 1K+ · 4.1★ (24) wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too high 20 Cookie Choices (for EU Cookie Law & GDPR) 9K+ · 4.5★ (35) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Lightweight Cookie Notice – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent 5K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #13 8 too high 22 Floating Button – Easily Create Sticky, Fixed & Floating Buttons 4K+ · 3.0★ (15) wp.org #21 ↑2 1 too high 23 WP Popup 1K+ · 4.2★ (6) wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too high 24 Combine Social Photos | Still BE 700+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #18 ↑4 6 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.