wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “pages widget”
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 “pages widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Random Posts and Pages Widget shows at wp.org #10 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 1K+ 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
Rich Showcase for Google Reviews places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1623 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.
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #2 3 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #3 4 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #4 5 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Nested Pages 90K+ · 4.7★ (126)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
AMP for WP – Accelerated Mobile Pages 70K+ · 4.4★ (1319) heavy footprint
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Page Builder by SiteOrigin 400K+ · 4.8★ (1005)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too low 10 I Insert Pages 30K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516)
wp.org #16 ↓3 5 too low 12 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 
Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 6 too high 14 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #14 ↑3 15 
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #21 6 too low 16 
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191)
wp.org #19 3 too low 17 
Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28)
wp.org #12 ↑2 5 too high 18 
CC Child Pages 9K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #18 19 
SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #24 5 too low 20 
WPZOOM Social Feed Widget & Block 50K+ · 4.3★ (51)
wp.org #20 21 
AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36)
wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too low 22 
GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget 900+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓2 5 too high 23 
Tabs Widget for Page Builder 3K+ · 4.8★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 24 Random Posts and Pages Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #10 14 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.