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

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 “nav item”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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

Menu Item Types shows at wp.org #3 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 100+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

A

Buried gem

Adminimize places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 254 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 Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219) wp.org #1 2 User Menus – Nav Menu Visibility 80K+ · 5.0★ (1281) wp.org #2 3 Menu Icons by Themeisle – Add Icons to Navigation Menus 100K+ · 4.9★ (851) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #4 5 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6 ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #6 ↑3 7 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #12 5 too low 8 Options for Twenty Twenty-One 6K+ · 4.9★ (64) wp.org #13 5 too low 9 A Adminimize 100K+ · 4.7★ (254) wp.org #21 ↓2 12 too low 10 Nav Menu Collapse 3K+ · 5.0★ (14) wp.org #10 ↑1 11 Logo Slider – Logo Showcase, Logo Carousel, Logo Gallery and Client Logo Presentation 30K+ · 4.7★ (252) wp.org #19 ↑2 8 too low 12 GutenKit – Page Builder Blocks, Patterns, and Templates for Gutenberg Block Editor 80K+ · 4.5★ (48) wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too low 13 Team Members – A WordPress Team Plugin with Gallery, Grid, Carousel, Slider, Table, List, and More 2K+ · 4.7★ (91) wp.org #23 10 too low 14 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #22 8 too low 15 Team Showcase 1K+ · 4.0★ (53) wp.org #17 ↑1 2 too low 16 Menu Item Types 100+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #3 13 too high 17 M Menu Duplicator 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #14 3 too high 18 Flexy Breadcrumb 10K+ · 4.7★ (20) wp.org #18 ↑2 19 Nav Menu Manager 800+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #9 ↓1 10 too high 20 BlockStrap Page Builder – Bootstrap Blocks 2K+ · 4.5★ (4) wp.org #7 ↓1 13 too high 21 Menu Caching 400+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #15 6 too high 22 Thim Kit for Elementor – Pre-built Templates & Widgets for Elementor 20K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 Drag & Drop Menu Items 60+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #11 ↓1 12 too high 24 Copy Nav Menu Items 90+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓4 4 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.