wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “smart 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 “smart widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
NGG Smart Image Search shows at wp.org #9 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 808 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Smart Slider 3 800K+ · 4.9★ (1125)
wp.org #1 2 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #2 3 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #3 4 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #4 5 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #5 6 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #12 4 too low 9 
PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281)
wp.org #11 2 too low 10 
Sticky Chat Widget – Floating Chat Icons, Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, Email & Message Buttons 10K+ · 5.0★ (39)
wp.org #10 11 
Sokol: Smart WooCommerce Search 5K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #6 5 too high 12 Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (808)
wp.org #17 5 too low 13 
All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720)
wp.org #20 7 too low 14 
Buttonizer – Social Media Share Buttons, Social Icons, & Social Feeds 40K+ · 4.8★ (396)
wp.org #23 9 too low 15 
HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489)
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 NGG Smart Image Search 400+ · 4.9★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #9 7 too high 17 
Smart Search & Product Filter for WooCommerce – Searchanise 900+ · 4.4★ (43)
wp.org #13 4 too high 18 
MoreConvert Wishlist for WooCommerce 8K+ · 4.9★ (120)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #15 4 too high 20 
Product Variation Swatches for WooCommerce – Smart Swatches 700+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #14 6 too high 21 
RSS Feed Widget 2K+ · 3.9★ (26)
wp.org #18 3 too high 22 
Smart Brands for WooCommerce 300+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #19 3 too high 23 
WPC Smart Price Filter for WooCommerce 600+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #16 7 too high 24 
Smart Keywords Tool – 智能关键词插件 500+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #24 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.