wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “particles”
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 “particles”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Light Particles shows at wp.org #2 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 14 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
Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits places #12 on merit, 4.5★ from 212 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.
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #1 ↑2 2 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525)
wp.org #8 ↑6 3 too low 6 
Addon Elements for Elementor (formerly Elementor Addon Elements) 80K+ · 4.8★ (172)
wp.org #9 ↑3 3 too low 7 
Sina Extension for Elementor 40K+ · 4.9★ (35)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 
HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489)
wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too low 10 
Gantry 5 Framework 7K+ · 4.6★ (34)
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
Slider Hero with Video Background, Animation 3K+ · 4.8★ (34)
wp.org #11 ↓1 12 Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212)
wp.org #21 ↓3 9 too low 13 
WPKoi Templates for Elementor 5K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too high 14 
Confetti – Celebration Effects for WordPress 2K+ · 5.0★ (49)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Piotnet Addons For Elementor 20K+ · 3.2★ (57)
wp.org #18 3 too low 16 Light Particles 60+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #2 ↓1 14 too high 17 
Responsive Addons for Elementor – Free Elementor Addons, Kits and Elementor Templates 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
aThemes Addons for Elementor – Widgets & Elementor Addons 7K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑5 1 too high 19 
Plover Kit – Blocks, Patterns, Responsive Layout and Gutenberg Editor Enhancements 3K+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #15 4 too high 20 
Ultimate Cursor – Interactive and Animated Custom Cursor and Background Effects Toolkit 3K+ · 4.5★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓5 8 too high 21 
Auto Capitalize & UPPERCASE Names and Addresses 50+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22 
Smooth Custom Cursor 400+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #16 6 too high 23 
Season Particles 10+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews
wp.org #22 1 too high 24 
FaeCursor – Interaction Effects Toolkit 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓2 1 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.