wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “widget control”
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 control”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Widget Visibility Control shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Translate WordPress with GTranslate places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 4962 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. 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)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516)
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #5 ↑1 6 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
Content Control – The Ultimate Content Restriction Solution! Restrict Content, Create Conditional Blocks & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (575)
wp.org #9 ↓5 2 too low 8 
Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #13 5 too low 9 
Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98)
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too low 12 Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #20 ↓1 8 too low 13 
Groups – Memberships and Access Control 10K+ · 4.8★ (382)
wp.org #19 ↓2 6 too low 14 
SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 
Timeline Widget For Elementor (Elementor Timeline, Vertical & Horizontal Timeline) 70K+ · 4.8★ (248)
wp.org #21 ↓1 6 too low 16 
Image Widget 100K+ · 4.9★ (287)
wp.org #23 ↓2 7 too low 17 
WPZOOM Social Feed Widget & Block 50K+ · 4.3★ (51)
wp.org #12 ↓3 5 too high 18 
PublishPress Capabilities: User Role Access Control, Admin Area Permissions 90K+ · 4.7★ (143)
wp.org #22 ↓7 4 too low 19 
Widgets Control 800+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓3 9 too high 20 
AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36)
wp.org #16 ↓4 4 too high 21 Widget Visibility Control 200+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑4 14 too high 22 
Image Source Control Lite – Show Image Credits and Captions 3K+ · 4.6★ (42)
wp.org #18 ↓2 4 too high 23 
GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget 900+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 12 too high 24 
Dynamic Front-End Heartbeat Control 1K+ · 4.8★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓2 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.