wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “siteorigin widgets api”
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 “siteorigin widgets api”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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.
Ranked above its merit
Cowboy MCP – Free MCP Server with Undo for Claude & ChatGPT shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Max Mega Menu places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 882 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #1 2 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #2 3 
Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244)
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973)
wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8 
Reviews Widgets for Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp & Recommendations 10K+ · 4.9★ (326) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 
Location Weather – WordPress Weather Forecast, Air Quality & Weather Widget 10K+ · 4.5★ (103)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #19 9 too low 11 
Joinchat – Enhanced “click to chat” 700K+ · 4.7★ (189)
wp.org #13 ↓2 2 too low 12 
Glossary 2K+ · 4.7★ (84)
wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13 
Sticky Chat Widget – Floating Chat Icons, Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, Email & Message Buttons 10K+ · 5.0★ (39)
wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 
Buttonizer – Social Media Share Buttons, Social Icons, & Social Feeds 40K+ · 4.8★ (396) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓2 4 too low 15 
Email Subscribers & Newsletters by Icegram Express – Email Marketing, Post Notifications & WooCommerce Marekting Automation for WordPress 50K+ · 4.6★ (1170) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓4 9 too low 16 
WP Image Zoom 10K+ · 4.3★ (119)
wp.org #23 ↓4 7 too low 17 
Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 4K+ · 4.8★ (50)
wp.org #20 ↑4 3 too low 18 
Carousel Slider 30K+ · 4.3★ (160) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too high 19 
Simple Google Calendar Outlook Events Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 11 too high 20 
Buttonizer – Floating Menus, Sticky Buttons, & Popup Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (151) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↓3 1 too low 21 
Widget Visibility Time Scheduler 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #12 9 too high 22 Cowboy MCP – Free MCP Server with Undo for Claude & ChatGPT 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↓1 13 too high 23 
WP-Stateless – Google Cloud Storage 4K+ · 3.9★ (51) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 6 too high 24 
Zoho Flow – No-Code Workflow Automation 5K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 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.