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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “slider widget”

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 “slider widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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

Serious Slider shows at wp.org #19 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.4★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Rich Showcase for Google Reviews places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 1623 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Slider, Gallery, and Carousel by MetaSlider – Image Slider, Video Slider 500K+ · 4.6★ (743) wp.org #1 2 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #4 5 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #5 6 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #6 ↑1 7 Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #11 4 too low 8 Prime Slider – Hero Slider, Carousel, WooCommerce & Post Slider Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.5★ (82) wp.org #8 9 Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (235) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too high 10 Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612) wp.org #13 ↓3 3 too low 11 Master Slider – Responsive Touch Slider 60K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #9 2 too high 12 Ultimate Responsive Image Slider 30K+ · 4.5★ (248) wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Testimonial – Testimonial Slider and Showcase Plugin 20K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #12 1 too high 14 Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28) wp.org #10 ↑1 4 too high 15 Social Slider Feed – Social Media Feed & Gallery Widgets 10K+ · 3.9★ (127) wp.org #14 ↓2 1 too high 16 Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 WP Google Review Slider 30K+ · 4.9★ (373) wp.org #17 ↓3 18 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #23 ↓5 5 too low 19 Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too low 20 Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #16 ↓3 4 too high 21 Carousel Slider 30K+ · 4.3★ (160) wp.org #18 ↓3 3 too high 22 GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget 900+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #24 2 too low 23 HT Slider For Elementor 20K+ · 3.8★ (12) wp.org #22 ↓3 1 too high 24 Serious Slider 20K+ · 3.4★ (8) wp.org #19 ↓3 5 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.