Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “move nav”

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 “move nav”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20. 4 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

BlockStrap Page Builder – Bootstrap Blocks shows at wp.org #7 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits places #9 on merit, 4.5★ from 212 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #1 2 Options for Twenty Twenty-One 6K+ · 4.9★ (64) wp.org #2 3 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 Logo Slider – Logo Showcase, Logo Carousel, Logo Gallery and Client Logo Presentation 30K+ · 4.7★ (252) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Sticky Header Effects for Elementor 300K+ · 4.5★ (69) wp.org #6 7 Animation Addons – Elementor Addons, GSAP Animations, Elementor V4 Atomic Widgets & Elementor Templates 10K+ · 4.6★ (66) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 Nested Pages 90K+ · 4.7★ (126) wp.org #11 3 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 #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 Simple Floating Menu 10K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #12 ↑1 2 too low 11 CMB2 300K+ · 5.0★ (91) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too high 12 WPMasterToolKit (WPMTK) – All in one plugin 5K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 GS Books Showcase – Display Books in Grid, Slider & More | Library for WordPress 500+ · 4.8★ (42) wp.org #15 2 too low 14 Options for Twenty Seventeen 8K+ · 4.8★ (57) wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too low 15 Rearrange Products for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (58) wp.org #17 2 too low 16 WP Widget in Navigation 2K+ · 4.7★ (15) wp.org #16 17 WP Frontend Admin – Display WP Admin Pages in the Frontend 400+ · 4.9★ (54) wp.org #22 ↓1 5 too low 18 BlockStrap Page Builder – Bootstrap Blocks 2K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #7 ↑3 11 too high 19 Announcement & Notification Banner – Bulletin 2K+ · 4.6★ (20) wp.org #19 ↓1 20 LocateAndFilter 200+ · 5.0★ (12) wp.org #23 ↓1 3 too low 21 GS WooCommerce Product Slider, Product Carousel, Grid, Ticker, List & Masonry 300+ · 4.0★ (8) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22 Menu Export Import 100+ · 4.3★ (3) wp.org #14 8 too high 23 Virtual Media Folders 300+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24 A Alphabetical Pagination 30+ · 2.3★ (3) wp.org #24

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.