wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “sidebar template”

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 template”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 4 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

SMK Sidebar Generator shows at wp.org #7 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 418 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.

merit plugin signals wp.org

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #1 2

Starter Templates: AI-Powered Website Templates for Elementor & Gutenberg 1M+ · 4.9★ (4755) wp.org #2 3

Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #3 4

Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028) wp.org #5 1 too low 5

Sidebar Login 9K+ · 4.5★ (78) wp.org #4 1 too high 6

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #6 ↑1 7

Content Aware Sidebars – Fastest Widget Area Plugin 30K+ · 4.9★ (724) not PHP-current wp.org #11 ↑13 4 too low 8

ShopEngine – All-in-One Elementor WooCommerce Builder with eCommerce Templates & Woo Widgets 100K+ · 4.6★ (212) wp.org #12 4 too low 9

Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #15 6 too low 10

Fullwidth Templates for Any Theme & Page Builder 20K+ · 4.7★ (42) wp.org #8 2 too high 11

MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Conditional Forms, Form Templates & Custom Form Builder for Elementor 500K+ · 4.7★ (509) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 2 too high 12

Events Shortcodes For The Events Calendar 10K+ · 4.9★ (214) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 ↓5 4 too low 13

Contact Form by Supsystic – Drag & Drop Form Builder with Templates & Form Statistics 6K+ · 4.7★ (92) wp.org #18 ↑2 5 too low 14

WPKoi Templates for Elementor 5K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #14 15

HT Mega Addons for Elementor – Elementor Widgets & Template Builder 60K+ · 4.1★ (66) wp.org #22 ↓1 7 too low 16

WP Email Template 2K+ · 3.1★ (35) wp.org #10 6 too high 17

Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (79) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 4 too high 18

SMK Sidebar Generator 10K+ · 4.4★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #7 ↓1 11 too high 19

Ultimate Floating Widgets – Make popup sidebars 3K+ · 4.9★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too high 20

Responsive Starter Templates – Elementor Templates & Starter Sites 10K+ · 4.5★ (39) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22

Thim Kit for Elementor – Pre-built Templates & Widgets for Elementor 20K+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #23 1 too low 23

YeeMail — Email Template Builder & Customizer 700+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #24 1 too low 24

Pretty Sidebar Categories 60+ · 5.0★ (1) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #21 ↓3 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.