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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “tool 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 “tool bar”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

Remove Admin Bar logo shows at wp.org #8 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

The Events Calendar places #12 on merit, 4.2★ from 2461 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 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) 100K+ · 4.9★ (1199) wp.org #5 ↑2 3 too low 3 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #6 ↓3 3 too low 4 Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 Hostinger Tools 3M+ · 3.5★ (40) wp.org #2 ↓1 4 too high 7 Debug Log Manager Tool 3K+ · 5.0★ (22) wp.org #4 ↑1 3 too high 8 Show Current Template 100K+ · 5.0★ (71) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 Notibar – Notification Bar for WordPress 8K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #11 2 too low 10 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #21 ↑1 11 too low 11 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #20 ↓2 9 too low 12 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #24 ↓4 12 too low 13 Announcer – Sticky Message Banner & Notification Bar 10K+ · 4.8★ (40) wp.org #17 ↓2 4 too low 14 Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) wp.org #9 5 too high 15 Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #23 8 too low 16 Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (235) wp.org #19 3 too low 17 Free Shipping Label and Progress Bar for WooCommerce 5K+ · 5.0★ (43) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too high 18 WP DSGVO Tools (GDPR) 10K+ · 4.0★ (116) wp.org #22 ↓1 4 too low 19 GDPR tools: Cookie notice + privacy 5K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #13 6 too high 20 Tutor LMS – Migration Tool 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #10 10 too high 21 Remove Admin Bar logo 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 13 too high 22 Catch Scroll Progress Bar 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #14 ↓1 8 too high 23 Universally – AI Translation & Multilingual SEO: Translate Your Site into 110+ Languages 30K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #16 7 too high 24 WBD Progress Bar For Gutenberg 200+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #18 ↓1 6 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.