Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 visibility”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 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

Widget Visibility Control shows at wp.org #6 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 13 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

Maps Widget for Google Maps places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 512 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Block Visibility — Conditional Visibility Control for the Block Editor 40K+ · 4.9★ (108) wp.org #1 2 Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516) wp.org #2 3 Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #9 ↓1 6 too low 4 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #8 ↓2 4 too low 5 Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98) wp.org #4 ↑5 1 too high 6 Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #11 ↑1 5 too low 7 Visibility Logic for Elementor 20K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #7 ↓2 8 Widget Visibility Time Scheduler 1K+ · 5.0★ (8) wp.org #3 5 too high 9 Dynamic Visibility for Elementor 50K+ · 4.6★ (89) wp.org #5 ↓1 4 too high 10 Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028) wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too low 11 Maps Widget for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (512) wp.org #20 9 too low 12 Timeline Widget For Elementor (Elementor Timeline, Vertical & Horizontal Timeline) 70K+ · 4.8★ (248) wp.org #19 7 too low 13 Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28) wp.org #10 3 too high 14 SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too high 17 Sticky Chat Widget – Floating Chat Icons, Contact Form, Call, Click to Chat, Email & Message Buttons 10K+ · 5.0★ (39) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too high 18 Cryptocurrency Widgets – Price Ticker & Coins List 6K+ · 4.8★ (191) wp.org #23 5 too low 19 Widget Visibility Control 200+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #6 ↑1 13 too high 20 Tagembed: Social Media Feeds and Customer Reviews Widget 9K+ · 3.9★ (62) wp.org #14 ↓1 6 too high 21 Product Visibility by User Role for WooCommerce 6K+ · 3.8★ (21) wp.org #13 ↑4 8 too high 22 ThemeZee Widget Bundle 5K+ · 4.8★ (4) wp.org #22 23 Visibility Controls for Editor Blocks 900+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #18 5 too high 24 Product Visibility by Country for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.3★ (4) wp.org #21 3 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.