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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “php 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 “php widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 5 plugins are 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

PHP Version shows at wp.org #5 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 19 places. Its 6K+ 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

Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 1516 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #1 2 Insert PHP Code Snippet 90K+ · 4.9★ (707) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Woody Code Snippets – Insert PHP, CSS, JS, and Header/Footer Scripts 50K+ · 4.5★ (221) wp.org #2 1 too high 4 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #4 5 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #10 2 too low 9 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1915) wp.org #15 4 too low 12 Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 Image Widget 100K+ · 4.9★ (287) wp.org #18 5 too low 14 Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98) wp.org #8 6 too high 15 Maps Widget for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (512) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Timeline Widget For Elementor (Elementor Timeline, Vertical & Horizontal Timeline) 70K+ · 4.8★ (248) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 Widget Disable 10K+ · 4.8★ (24) wp.org #17 2 too high 20 List Custom Taxonomy Widget 8K+ · 4.7★ (21) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Easy PHP Settings 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #12 9 too high 22 Back Button Widget 4K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #23 1 too low 23 Statify Widget 4K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 PHP Version 6K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #5 19 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.