wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “open close”
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 “open close”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Website Open/Closed Toggle shows at wp.org #4 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 20 places. Its 500+ 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
Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 4514 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Open User Map – Interactive Leaflet Maps 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #2 1 too low 2 
Open Close Store for WooCommerce – Business Hours & Order Scheduling 600+ · 3.4★ (41) low rating, top placement
wp.org #1 1 too high 3 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
We’re Open! 5K+ · 5.0★ (45)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
Maintenance 1M+ · 4.4★ (869)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
SureRank SEO – Meta Tags, Social Preview, XML Sitemap, Schema & Open Graph 300K+ · 4.8★ (51)
wp.org #6 7 Popup Maker – Boost Sales, Conversions, Optins, Subscribers with the Ultimate WP Popup Builder 600K+ · 4.9★ (4514)
wp.org #15 ↓2 8 too low 8 
The SEO Framework – Fast, Automated, Effortless. 200K+ · 4.9★ (380) not PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↑4 2 too low 9 
Meow Lightbox 10K+ · 4.9★ (190)
wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too low 10 
Popups for Divi 100K+ · 4.8★ (442)
wp.org #16 6 too low 11 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #12 ↑5 1 too low 12 
WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100)
wp.org #11 1 too high 13 
Mapster WP Maps 3K+ · 4.9★ (54) heavy footprint
wp.org #13 ↓1 14 
WPFront Notification Bar 40K+ · 4.5★ (131)
wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15 
Firelight Lightbox 200K+ · 4.8★ (361)
wp.org #24 9 too low 16 
One Click Close Comments 5K+ · 4.9★ (10) thin reviewsstale but ranked
wp.org #8 ↑1 8 too high 17 
WP-Polls 40K+ · 4.2★ (136)
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
FancyBox for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (92)
wp.org #20 2 too low 19 
Lightweight Accordion 10K+ · 5.0★ (60)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
SlickNav Mobile Menu 3K+ · 4.8★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
Ultimate Floating Widgets – Make popup sidebars 3K+ · 4.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #21 22 
Notification Bar, Announcement and Cookie Notice WordPress Plugin – FooBar 3K+ · 4.8★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑2 23 
Auto-Close Comments, Pingbacks and Trackbacks 200+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑1 14 too high 24 Website Open/Closed Toggle 500+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #4 20 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.