Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “multiple breadcrumbs”

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 “multiple breadcrumbs”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

X3P0: Breadcrumbs shows at wp.org #7 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 200+ 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

Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery places #12 on merit, 4.3★ from 4342 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 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #6 7 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406) wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Breadcrumb Block 2K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #5 5 too high 11 SmartCrawl SEO checker, analyzer & optimizer 10K+ · 4.8★ (171) wp.org #16 5 too low 12 Photo Gallery, Sliders, Proofing and Themes – NextGEN Gallery 300K+ · 4.3★ (4342) wp.org #22 ↓3 10 too low 13 bbp style pack 6K+ · 4.9★ (100) wp.org #23 ↓1 10 too low 14 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #20 ↓7 6 too low 15 SVG Block 4K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 Embed YouTube Block – Fast Loading Videos, Shorts & Playlists 6K+ · 5.0★ (16) wp.org #17 1 too low 17 X3P0: Breadcrumbs 200+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #7 10 too high 18 Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (79) wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too high 19 Sina Extension for Elementor 40K+ · 4.9★ (35) wp.org #19 ↑1 20 FileBird Document Library 5K+ · 4.9★ (8) wp.org #15 5 too high 21 VK Blocks 100K+ · 4.8★ (6) wp.org #13 ↑1 8 too high 22 WP Docs 1K+ · 4.8★ (18) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Counting Number Block 2K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 SiteSEO – SEO Simplified 400K+ · 4.0★ (8) wp.org #18 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.