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

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 styling”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget shows at wp.org #11 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin signals wp.org

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #1 2

Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #2 3

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current wp.org #3 4

Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too low 5

Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #4 2 too high 7

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #7 ↓1 8

Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #9 ↑3 1 too low 9

SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10

Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191) wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too low 11

Timeline Widget For Elementor (Elementor Timeline, Vertical & Horizontal Timeline) 70K+ · 4.8★ (248) wp.org #14 3 too low 12

WPZOOM Social Feed Widget & Block 50K+ · 4.3★ (51) wp.org #8 4 too high 13

Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882) wp.org #22 9 too low 14

WPZOOM Connect: Social Icons Widget & Block, Share Buttons & Click to Chat 90K+ · 4.9★ (144) wp.org #20 6 too low 15

Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) 10K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #18 3 too low 16

Sticky Chat Widget – Floating Chat Icons, Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, Email & Message Buttons 10K+ · 5.0★ (39) wp.org #15 1 too high 17

Tagembed: Social Media Feeds and Customer Reviews Widget 9K+ · 3.9★ (62) wp.org #13 4 too high 18

HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #19 1 too low 19

GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget 900+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↓1 8 too high 20

Back Button Widget 4K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #16 4 too high 21

Simple Google Calendar Outlook Events Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23

ThemeZee Widget Bundle 5K+ · 4.8★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #17 6 too high 24

Liza Widget For Spotify and Elementor 1K+ · 4.0★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #24

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.