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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “rotating tabs”

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 “rotating tabs”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Tab Return Notifier shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 40+ 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

Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads places #4 on merit, 4.9★ from 2433 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #1 2 All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #6 3 too low 4 Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433) wp.org #10 ↑4 6 too low 5 Plethora Tabs + Accordions 2K+ · 4.9★ (8) wp.org #2 3 too high 6 Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212) wp.org #9 3 too low 7 Divi Torque Lite 50K+ · 4.7★ (116) wp.org #7 8 Qi Addons For Elementor 200K+ · 4.8★ (205) wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too low 9 Otter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder for Gutenberg Editor & FSE 300K+ · 4.7★ (251) wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too low 10 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too low 11 Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (79) wp.org #5 6 too high 12 Username Changer 40K+ · 4.3★ (77) wp.org #12 ↓1 13 Block Animations, Motion & Scroll Effects – Ghost Kit 6K+ · 4.6★ (46) wp.org #18 ↑2 5 too low 14 BEW – Elementor Addons, Templates & AI Builder 20K+ · 4.5★ (28) wp.org #23 ↑1 9 too low 15 Testimonial – Build Trust with Rotating Customer Stories 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #4 11 too high 16 Carousel Block – Showcase Images in Elegant Sliding Displays 7K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #15 1 too high 17 Magical Shop Builder – WooCommerce Template Builder for Elementor | Shop, Cart, Checkout & Product Page Builder 3K+ · 5.0★ (9) wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Ultimate Store Kit – Store Builder Addons for Elementor, WooCommerce Store Builder, EDD Store Builder 3K+ · 4.5★ (10) wp.org #19 ↓2 1 too low 19 Marquee Addons for Elementor – Essential Motion Widgets & Templates 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #16 ↑3 3 too high 20 Animated Text Block – Add Typing and Looping Text Effects 4K+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #22 ↑1 2 too low 21 Tab Return Notifier 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 13 too high 22 Classic Addons – WPBakery Page Builder 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23 Alert Box Block – Grab Attention with Eye-Catching Notices 400+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too high 24 Classic Blog Grid 3K+ · 3.0★ (2) wp.org #21 ↑1 3 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.