wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “tree menu”
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 “tree menu”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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 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
F4 Post Tree shows at wp.org #3 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Download Manager places #12 on merit, 4.1★ from 1006 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48)
wp.org #1 2 
CMS Tree Page View – Reorder Pages with a Drag-and-Drop Tree 50K+ · 4.9★ (365)
wp.org #2 3 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #9 5 too low 5 
FileBird – WordPress Media Library Folders & File Manager 200K+ · 4.7★ (1125)
wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6 
Iks Menu – WordPress Category Accordion Menu & FAQs 10K+ · 5.0★ (27)
wp.org #4 2 too high 7 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #6 ↑2 1 too high 8 
Nested Pages 90K+ · 4.7★ (126)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 
Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212)
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 
Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #12 2 too low 11 
AMP for WP – Accelerated Mobile Pages 70K+ · 4.4★ (1319) heavy footprint
wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Download Manager 100K+ · 4.1★ (1006)
wp.org #18 ↓3 6 too low 13 
Bellows Accordion Menu 10K+ · 5.0★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too high 14 F4 Post Tree 600+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #3 11 too high 15 
WPIDE – File Manager & Code Editor 40K+ · 4.8★ (306)
wp.org #23 ↓3 8 too low 16 
Wicked Folders – Folder Organizer for Pages, Posts, and Custom Post Types 20K+ · 4.9★ (56)
wp.org #16 17 
Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158)
wp.org #21 ↓2 4 too low 18 W WP-dTree 2K+ · 4.8★ (25)
wp.org #15 ↑6 3 too high 19 
Menubar 1K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #13 6 too high 20 
Enable Abilities for MCP 5K+ · 5.0★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓3 21 
Auto Submenu 2K+ · 4.0★ (25)
wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 
FileBird Document Library 5K+ · 4.9★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑7 5 too high 23 
RootsPersona 400+ · 4.6★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 
Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 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.