wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “trust 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 “trust widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Taggbox: Social Media Feed Widget shows at wp.org #13 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ 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
ShopEngine – All-in-One Elementor WooCommerce Builder with eCommerce Templates & Woo Widgets places #12 on merit, 4.6★ from 212 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #1 2 
Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 
Image Widget 100K+ · 4.9★ (287)
wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6 
Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28)
wp.org #4 2 too high 7 
Reviews Widgets for Google, TripAdvisor, Yelp & Recommendations 10K+ · 4.9★ (326)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too high 9 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too low 10 
Tagembed: Social Media Feeds and Customer Reviews Widget 9K+ · 3.9★ (62)
wp.org #6 ↓1 4 too high 11 
Sticky Chat Widget – Floating Chat Icons, Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, Email & Message Buttons 10K+ · 5.0★ (39)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 ShopEngine – All-in-One Elementor WooCommerce Builder with eCommerce Templates & Woo Widgets 100K+ · 4.6★ (212)
wp.org #16 4 too low 13 
WP Social Ninja – Embed Social Feeds, User Reviews & Chat Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 
Widgets for Airbnb Reviews 6K+ · 4.6★ (60)
wp.org #14 ↑10 15 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510)
wp.org #21 ↓8 6 too low 16 
WP Tripadvisor Review Widgets 20K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too low 17 
Widgets for Booking.com Reviews 9K+ · 4.9★ (65)
wp.org #22 ↓2 5 too low 18 
Widgets for Reviews & Recommendations 8K+ · 4.6★ (98)
wp.org #24 ↓2 6 too low 19 
Back Button Widget 4K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #11 8 too high 20 
Reviews Widgets for Google & 45+ platforms by Repuso 1K+ · 4.8★ (25)
wp.org #23 ↓2 3 too low 21 
Marquee Addons for Elementor – Essential Motion Widgets & Templates 20K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #17 4 too high 22 
Simple Google Calendar Outlook Events Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 Taggbox: Social Media Feed Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↑2 10 too high 24 
Widgets for Google Reviews and Ratings 3K+ · 4.2★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #20 4 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.