wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “widget content”
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 content”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Dynamic Widget Content shows at wp.org #10 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 1138 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. 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 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #2 3 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Widget Content Blocks 10K+ · 4.8★ (60)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 7 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #8 9 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #12 ↑1 3 too low 10 WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1138)
wp.org #17 7 too low 11 
Content Control – The Ultimate Content Restriction Solution! Restrict Content, Create Conditional Blocks & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (575)
wp.org #16 ↓2 5 too low 12 
Add Widget After Content 6K+ · 4.7★ (38)
wp.org #7 5 too high 13 
Content Aware Sidebars – Fastest Widget Area Plugin 30K+ · 4.9★ (724) not PHP-current
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516)
wp.org #20 ↓1 6 too low 15 
Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #22 ↑2 7 too low 16 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #13 ↑2 3 too high 17 
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28)
wp.org #11 ↑5 7 too high 19 
Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) 10K+ · 4.9★ (80)
wp.org #19 ↓1 20 
Secure Copy Content Protection and Content Locking 20K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #23 ↓2 3 too low 21 
WPZOOM Social Feed Widget & Block 50K+ · 4.3★ (51)
wp.org #24 ↓2 3 too low 22 
Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓5 7 too high 23 Dynamic Widget Content 300+ · 4.9★ (8) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↑1 13 too high 24 
GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget 900+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑2 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.