Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 sidebar”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Pretty Sidebar Categories shows at wp.org #9 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 60+ 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

Rich Showcase for Google Reviews places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 1623 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 Lightweight Sidebar Manager 80K+ · 4.2★ (21) wp.org #1 2 Advanced Sidebar Menu 10K+ · 4.5★ (37) wp.org #2 3 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too low 5 Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358) wp.org #12 ↑2 6 too low 7 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #15 ↑9 8 too low 8 Genesis Simple Sidebars 10K+ · 4.4★ (27) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Off-Canvas Sidebars & Menus (Slidebars) 1K+ · 4.8★ (38) wp.org #8 ↑2 1 too high 10 Booking for Appointments and Events Calendar – Amelia 90K+ · 4.6★ (793) wp.org #17 ↑5 7 too low 11 Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #22 11 too low 12 Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #23 ↓2 11 too low 13 Multiple Themes 10K+ · 4.7★ (50) wp.org #13 ↑2 14 Ultimate Floating Widgets – Make popup sidebars 3K+ · 4.9★ (14) wp.org #7 ↓1 7 too high 15 Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Simple Banner – Easily add multiple Banners/Bars/Notifications/Announcements to the top or bottom of your website 50K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #16 ↑3 17 Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too low 18 Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475) wp.org #18 19 WPB Accordion Menu – Collapsible Vertical Sidebar Responsive Mobile Menu – WooCommerce Category Accordion 10K+ · 4.4★ (54) wp.org #10 ↑2 9 too high 20 Events Made Easy 1K+ · 4.6★ (111) wp.org #21 ↓4 1 too low 21 All-in-One Sticky Anything – Click to Call, Fixed Widget, Sticky Header, Menu & Sidebar 1K+ · 4.9★ (15) wp.org #14 ↑2 7 too high 22 WP CTA – Call Now Button, Sticky Button & Call to Action Builder 2K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #11 ↑2 11 too high 23 Multiple Shipping And Billing Address For WooCommerce 200+ · 4.7★ (7) wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Pretty Sidebar Categories 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #9 15 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.