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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “mouse trail”

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 “mouse trail”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 of the top 20. 5 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

Smooth Custom Cursor shows at wp.org #7 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP GPX Maps places #9 on merit, 4.1★ from 59 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 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too low 2 The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) wp.org #5 3 too low 3 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Animated Mouse Cursor Trail 100+ · 3.7★ (3) wp.org #1 3 too high 5 AnimateGL – WebGL & CSS Scroll Animations and Hover Effects for Gutenberg and Elementor 2K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #9 4 too low 6 Divi Torque Lite 50K+ · 4.7★ (116) wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too low 7 Cursor Trail 100+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 too high 8 WP Document Revisions 2K+ · 3.7★ (23) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too low 9 WP GPX Maps 4K+ · 4.1★ (59) wp.org #21 12 too low 10 Block Enhancements – Extended styling for the Block Editor 900+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #14 ↓2 4 too low 11 Mouse Trail Free 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #4 7 too high 12 Signature Add-On for Gravity Forms 1K+ · 3.9★ (21) wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too low 13 Cursor Style & Animation 70+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14 Ultimate Cursor – Interactive and Animated Custom Cursor and Background Effects Toolkit 3K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #8 ↓1 6 too high 15 Digital Signature Add-on for WooCommerce 900+ · 3.1★ (19) wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 Smooth Custom Cursor 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #7 ↑1 9 too high 17 Ninja Forms Signature Contract Add-On 300+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too low 18 Rs Christmas Santa – Snowfall, Christmas Lights, Holiday Music, Flying Sleigh & Countdown 50+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #13 ↑1 5 too high 19 WP Forms Signature Contract Add-On 800+ · 4.4★ (5) wp.org #24 ↓2 5 too low 20 Blockenberg — 645 Advanced Gutenberg Blocks, 683 Templates and AI Agent for WordPress Block Editor 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #15 ↓2 5 too high 21 Sparkle Mouse — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 FaeCursor – Interaction Effects Toolkit 300+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 Topper Pack 400+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #23 ↓2 24 Digital Signature for eCommerce Checkout 20+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #22 ↓2 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.