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

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 menu roles”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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 Backup & Restore + Import/Export shows at wp.org #13 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 500+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Import and export users and customers places #10 on merit, 4.7★ from 259 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. 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 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #3 4 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 Simple Floating Menu 10K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #4 2 too high 7 WPFront User Role Editor 30K+ · 4.5★ (65) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212) wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #15 6 too low 10 Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259) wp.org #17 7 too low 11 A Adminimize 100K+ · 4.7★ (254) wp.org #18 7 too low 12 Sticky Header Effects for Elementor 300K+ · 4.5★ (69) wp.org #12 13 Nested Pages 90K+ · 4.7★ (126) wp.org #16 3 too low 14 Side Menu Lite – Sticky Floating Side Menu 7K+ · 4.0★ (12) wp.org #7 7 too high 15 Groovy Menu Plugin (Free) 4K+ · 3.6★ (25) wp.org #9 6 too high 16 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 Product Visibility by User Role for WooCommerce 6K+ · 3.8★ (21) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection 10K+ · 4.3★ (94) wp.org #19 1 too low 19 WPMasterToolKit (WPMTK) – All in one plugin 5K+ · 5.0★ (28) wp.org #24 ↓1 5 too low 20 Advanced Menu Manager Pro – Built for Content-heavy WordPress Sites to Add, Filter, Lock, and Edit Menus Easily 400+ · 3.7★ (22) wp.org #14 6 too high 21 My WP Customize Admin/Frontend 8K+ · 4.3★ (16) wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too low 22 Giuliomax Menu Builder 20+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 Menu Backup & Restore + Import/Export 500+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #13 10 too high 24 Titanium Nav Menu Roles & Visibility Rules 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #20 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.