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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “simple bar”

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 “simple bar”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20. 3 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.

Buried gem

My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) places #5 on merit, 4.9★ from 1199 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 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #1 2 Simple Banner – Easily add multiple Banners/Bars/Notifications/Announcements to the top or bottom of your website 50K+ · 4.8★ (45) wp.org #2 3 Simple Share Buttons Adder 40K+ · 4.3★ (627) wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too low 4 Cookie Bar 10K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) 100K+ · 4.9★ (1199) wp.org #10 5 too low 6 Seriously Simple Podcasting 20K+ · 4.7★ (330) wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too high 7 Simple Floating Menu 10K+ · 5.0★ (38) wp.org #9 2 too low 8 Mobile Contact Bar 9K+ · 4.6★ (30) wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Progress Bar 1K+ · 5.0★ (24) wp.org #8 2 too high 11 WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Speed Contact Bar 4K+ · 4.6★ (56) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #24 11 too low 14 Simple Job Board 10K+ · 4.7★ (133) wp.org #12 2 too high 15 Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194) wp.org #16 ↑2 1 too low 16 Simple Admin Language Change 10K+ · 4.7★ (22) wp.org #13 3 too high 17 Hide Admin Bar from Non-Admins 10K+ · 4.3★ (30) wp.org #15 ↑4 2 too high 18 HashBar – Announcement, Notification Bar & Popup Campaign 9K+ · 4.2★ (38) wp.org #17 1 too high 19 Top Bar 10K+ · 4.0★ (43) wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 Easy Notification Bar 9K+ · 4.6★ (16) wp.org #19 ↓4 1 too high 21 Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Simple YouTube Embed 4K+ · 4.2★ (15) wp.org #21 1 too high 23 Notice Bar 700+ · 3.6★ (9) wp.org #20 3 too high 24 Catch Scroll Progress Bar 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #23 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.