wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “widget clone”
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 “widget clone”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Sidebar Content Clone shows at wp.org #6 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 1.5★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 1281 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516)
wp.org #1 2 
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #2 3 
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 6 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #10 ↓6 4 too low 7 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #8 ↑5 9 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #9 ↑5 10 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too low 11 
Master Addons for Elementor – Elementor Addons, Widgets, Mega Menu Builder, Popup Builder, Widget Builder & Template Kits 30K+ · 4.5★ (212)
wp.org #13 ↓3 2 too low 12 
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↑5 9 too high 13 
Element Pack Addons for Elementor – MCP & AI-Ready Elementor Widgets, Elementor Templates, Elementor Addons 100K+ · 4.7★ (284)
wp.org #19 6 too low 14 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #15 ↓3 1 too low 15 
NS Cloner – Site Cloner and Multisite Duplicator 6K+ · 4.7★ (279)
wp.org #21 ↓3 6 too low 16 
1-Click WordPress Migration Plugin – Backup, Migrate & Clone 400+ · 4.5★ (40)
wp.org #14 2 too high 17 
HT Mega Addons for Elementor – Elementor Widgets & Template Builder 60K+ · 4.1★ (66)
wp.org #17 ↓1 18 
WPFront User Role Editor 30K+ · 4.5★ (65)
wp.org #22 ↓2 4 too low 19 
Page Builder: Pagelayer – Drag and Drop website builder 400K+ · 3.9★ (104)
wp.org #23 ↓2 4 too low 20 
Jeg Kit for Elementor – Powerful Addons for Elementor, Widgets & Templates for WordPress 300K+ · 3.8★ (79) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #18 ↓3 2 too high 21 
WP Duplicate Page 60K+ · 4.2★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too high 22 
aThemes Addons for Elementor – Widgets & Elementor Addons 7K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑6 6 too high 23 
Royal MCP – Secure AI Connector for Claude, ChatGPT & any LLM via MCP 10K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓5 1 too low 24 Sidebar Content Clone 400+ · 1.5★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #6 18 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.