wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “multi layer background”

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 “multi layer background”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 6 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

Xpro Slider For Beaver Builder – Lite shows at wp.org #4 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 19 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Custom Login Page Customizer places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 476 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125) wp.org #1 2

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #2 1 too high 4

Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #7 3 too low 5

Bit Form – Contact Form, Payment Forms, Multi Step Forms, Calculator & Custom Form Builder 10K+ · 5.0★ (259) wp.org #8 ↑3 3 too low 6

Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (235) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #5 1 too high 7

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8

Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9

HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #6 3 too high 10

Everest Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form, Quiz, Survey & Custom Form Builder with AI 90K+ · 4.9★ (375) heavy footprint wp.org #14 4 too low 11

Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (476) wp.org #19 8 too low 12

Defender Security – Malware Scanner, Login Security & Firewall 80K+ · 4.8★ (334) wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too low 13

Sticky Header Effects for Elementor 300K+ · 4.5★ (69) wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14

JetBackup – Backup, Restore & Migrate 200K+ · 4.5★ (1056) wp.org #23 ↑1 9 too low 15

Rublon Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) 400+ · 4.2★ (88) wp.org #15 16

BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 3 too high 17

Animation Addons – Elementor Addons, GSAP Animations, Elementor V4 Atomic Widgets & Elementor Templates 10K+ · 4.6★ (66) wp.org #24 7 too low 18

Sina Extension for Elementor 40K+ · 4.9★ (35) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #18 ↑2 19

Sky Login Redirect 2K+ · 4.7★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↑1 3 too low 20

UiChemy – Convert Figma, Prompts and AI Builds to Elementor, Gutenberg and Bricks 8K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↑1 21

Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (79) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too high 22

Multi Location Product & Inventory Management for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (6) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #12 10 too high 23

Xpro Slider For Beaver Builder – Lite 400+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #4 19 too high 24

BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓5 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.