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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “widget import”

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 import”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Ansar Import – One Click Starter Sites – for WordPress Themes shows at wp.org #7 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Maps Widget for Google Maps places #12 on merit, 4.6★ from 512 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 One Click Demo Import 1M+ · 4.3★ (79) wp.org #1 2 Widget Importer & Exporter 200K+ · 4.7★ (117) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Customizer Export/Import 100K+ · 4.8★ (115) wp.org #4 5 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #6 ↑2 1 too low 6 Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516) wp.org #8 2 too low 7 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too low 8 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #10 ↑3 2 too low 9 Advanced Import 80K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #2 7 too high 10 LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 Import Social Events 3K+ · 4.8★ (116) wp.org #11 ↓1 12 Maps Widget for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (512) wp.org #18 ↑1 6 too low 13 WP RSS Aggregator – RSS Import, Feed to Post, Autoblogging, AI Content 40K+ · 4.5★ (565) wp.org #19 ↓1 6 too low 14 Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004) wp.org #21 7 too low 15 The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #24 8 too low 17 Import Eventbrite Events 3K+ · 4.5★ (52) wp.org #12 ↓1 5 too high 18 Post Export Import with Media 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) wp.org #16 2 too high 19 Astra Widgets 200K+ · 3.9★ (17) wp.org #22 3 too low 20 Ansar Import – One Click Starter Sites – for WordPress Themes 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 13 too high 21 WPZOOM Addons for Elementor – Starter Templates & Widgets 20K+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #15 ↑1 6 too high 22 Rara One Click Demo Import 20K+ · 2.7★ (7) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 H Hoot Import 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #13 ↓1 10 too high 24 Import WooCommerce Suite for Products, Orders, Coupons, Reviews, and Customers | WP Ultimate CSV Importer 4K+ · 2.3★ (6) 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.