wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sidebar clone”
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 “sidebar clone”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Sidebar Content Clone shows at wp.org #2 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 22 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.5★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Simple Download Monitor places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 158 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #1 2 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too low 3 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #6 ↓3 3 too low 4 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #4 ↑2 5 
Duplicate Page 3M+ · 4.8★ (466)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
BlogVault Backup & Staging 80K+ · 4.6★ (332)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516)
wp.org #11 ↑2 4 too low 8 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too low 9 
Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158)
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too high 10 
Machete 6K+ · 5.0★ (52)
wp.org #10 ↑1 11 Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too low 12 
Dynific Addons for Elementor (formerly Anywhere Elementor) 70K+ · 4.8★ (104)
wp.org #18 ↑1 6 too low 13 
WP Migrate Lite – Migration Made Easy 200K+ · 4.2★ (318) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 1 too high 14 
Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
weDocs: AI Powered Knowledge Base, Docs, Documentation, Wiki & AI Chatbot 5K+ · 4.6★ (69)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
Create Block Theme 20K+ · 4.8★ (38)
wp.org #19 ↑2 3 too low 17 
Wicked Folders – Folder Organizer for Pages, Posts, and Custom Post Types 20K+ · 4.9★ (56)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Image Gallery 3K+ · 4.4★ (32)
wp.org #16 ↑2 2 too high 19 
WP EXtra – One Click Optimize 6K+ · 4.9★ (41)
wp.org #22 3 too low 20 
Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓5 7 too high 21 
Post Type Transfer 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too high 22 
Groovy Menu Plugin (Free) 4K+ · 3.6★ (25)
wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23 
Nota Backup & Restore – WordPress Backup, Migration & Clone 30+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↑2 8 too high 24 Sidebar Content Clone 400+ · 1.5★ (4) thin reviewslow rating, top placement
wp.org #2 22 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.