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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “skill progress 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 “skill progress bar”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

WBD Progress Bar For Gutenberg shows at wp.org #2 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 200+ 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

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #6 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #4 3 too low 2 SKT Skill Bar 1K+ · 4.1★ (14) wp.org #1 1 too high 3 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too low 4 Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601) wp.org #9 ↑6 5 too low 5 Progress Bar & Skill Bar 1K+ · 4.5★ (52) wp.org #5 ↑1 6 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525) wp.org #14 ↑3 8 too low 7 Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212) wp.org #11 ↓1 4 too low 8 Masteriyo LMS – LMS Course Builder, Quizzes & Certificates 6K+ · 4.8★ (184) wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too high 9 Superb Addons: Blocks, Patterns, Pre-built Pages, Sliders, Popups, Free Forms, Animations & More 80K+ · 4.9★ (23) wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too low 11 ShopLentor – All-in-One WooCommerce Growth & Store Enhancement Plugin 80K+ · 4.5★ (278) wp.org #19 ↓6 8 too low 12 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #18 ↑2 6 too low 13 Brizy – Page Builder 60K+ · 4.7★ (972) wp.org #23 ↑1 10 too low 14 Skill Bars 300+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #3 11 too high 15 WP-Memory-Usage 10K+ · 4.5★ (21) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 Divi Torque Lite 50K+ · 4.7★ (116) wp.org #16 ↑2 17 GutenBee – Gutenberg Blocks 6K+ · 4.9★ (18) wp.org #15 ↑1 2 too high 18 HT Mega Addons for Elementor – Elementor Widgets & Template Builder 60K+ · 4.1★ (66) wp.org #24 6 too low 19 WBD Progress Bar For Gutenberg 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #2 17 too high 20 Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (79) wp.org #17 ↑2 3 too high 21 Ibtana – WordPress Website Builder 10K+ · 4.3★ (30) wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too low 22 Team Showcase – Responsive Team Members Grid, Slider & Carousel Plugin 2K+ · 3.4★ (24) wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23 Classic Addons – WPBakery Page Builder 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #8 ↑1 15 too high 24 Blockenberg — 645 Advanced Gutenberg Blocks, 683 Templates and AI Agent for WordPress Block Editor 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #20 ↑1 4 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.