Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “toggle meta boxes”

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 “toggle meta boxes”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies shows at wp.org #12 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 2617 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Meta Box – A Framework for Dynamic Websites 500K+ · 4.8★ (165) wp.org #1 2 Disable Gutenberg 500K+ · 5.0★ (735) wp.org #2 ↑1 3 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #3 ↑1 4 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #4 ↑2 5 Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ · 4.9★ (5925) wp.org #5 6 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #7 ↑4 1 too low 7 Gutenberg Essential Blocks – Page Builder for Gutenberg Blocks & Patterns 100K+ · 4.9★ (216) wp.org #8 ↑2 1 too low 8 BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too high 9 Unlimited Elements for Elementor 300K+ · 4.8★ (525) wp.org #16 ↑3 7 too low 10 Nexter Blocks – Gutenberg Blocks, Page Builder & AI Website Builder 9K+ · 4.8★ (90) wp.org #11 ↑12 1 too low 11 The Plus Addons for Elementor – Mega Menu, Header Footer, Post Grid, AI Widgets & Templates 100K+ · 4.6★ (388) wp.org #22 ↑2 11 too low 12 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #24 12 too low 13 Getwid – Gutenberg Blocks 50K+ · 4.7★ (115) wp.org #18 ↑3 5 too low 14 annasta Filters for WooCommerce 1K+ · 4.8★ (44) wp.org #9 ↑3 5 too high 15 Arconix Shortcodes 3K+ · 4.6★ (24) wp.org #10 ↑3 5 too high 16 Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212) wp.org #21 ↓4 5 too low 17 Head & Footer Code 100K+ · 5.0★ (51) wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too low 18 CMB2 300K+ · 5.0★ (91) wp.org #14 ↑2 4 too high 19 MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #12 ↑2 7 too high 20 Sina Extension for Elementor 40K+ · 4.9★ (35) wp.org #13 ↑2 7 too high 21 Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #20 1 too high 22 Dynamic Fields Engine – Custom post types, Custom fields, Meta fields, Taxonomies, Listing builder, Query builder and Relations 3K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↑7 7 too high 23 Disable Meta Box Resizing 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 Custom Field For WP Job Manager 800+ · 3.4★ (5) 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.