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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “web 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 “web widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 2 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

Catch Web Tools shows at wp.org #9 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty places #11 on merit, 5.0★ from 1244 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667) wp.org #1 2 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #2 ↓1 3 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #3 ↓1 4 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #4 ↓1 5 Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #5 ↓1 6 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #6 ↓1 7 Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too low 8 Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191) wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #15 ↑3 6 too low 10 Maps Widget for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (512) wp.org #17 ↓2 7 too low 11 Floating Chat Widget: Contact Chat Icons, Telegram Chat, Line Messenger, WeChat, Email, SMS, Call Button – Chaty 300K+ · 5.0★ (1244) wp.org #21 ↓1 10 too low 12 Image Widget 100K+ · 4.9★ (287) wp.org #20 ↓1 8 too low 13 Web-Stat – Live Visitor Analytics 5K+ · 4.4★ (20) wp.org #7 ↓1 6 too high 14 AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #19 ↓2 4 too low 16 OneSignal – Web Push Notifications 60K+ · 4.3★ (360) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget 900+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #8 9 too high 18 Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #22 4 too low 19 Super Web Share – Native Social Sharing Button 2K+ · 4.9★ (29) wp.org #16 ↓2 3 too high 20 Web Accessibility (formally known as Ally) – WCAG Scanning, Guided Fixes, Usability Widget 500K+ · 2.9★ (162) wp.org #18 ↓2 2 too high 21 WP Categories Widget 6K+ · 4.5★ (27) wp.org #24 ↓3 3 too low 22 Catch Web Tools 10K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #9 ↓2 13 too high 23 Web Stories Widgets For Elementor 900+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #12 ↓1 11 too high 24 Web accessibility widget by tabnav 300+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #23 ↓1 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.