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

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. shortcode”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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 #7 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 9 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.

Buried gem

Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 2528 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 signals wp.org

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 #3 1 too low 3

Shortcode Widget 10K+ · 4.9★ (34) wp.org #2 1 too high 4

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #4 5

Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516) wp.org #12 6 too low 7

WPZOOM Social Feed Widget & Block 50K+ · 4.3★ (51) wp.org #5 2 too high 8

Shortcodes Ultimate – Content Elements 400K+ · 4.9★ (5925) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 1 too low 9

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #10 1 too low 10

Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191) wp.org #13 3 too low 11

Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28) wp.org #8 3 too high 12

Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #20 8 too low 13

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #15 2 too low 14

The Events Calendar Shortcode & Block 10K+ · 4.7★ (101) wp.org #18 4 too low 15

Timeline Widget For Elementor (Elementor Timeline, Vertical & Horizontal Timeline) 70K+ · 4.8★ (248) wp.org #23 8 too low 16

GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget 900+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #7 9 too high 17

Shortcode Redirect 10K+ · 4.3★ (31) wp.org #11 6 too high 18

WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31) wp.org #14 4 too high 19

SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #24 5 too low 20

Latest Post Shortcode 4K+ · 4.8★ (46) wp.org #21 1 too low 21

Tagembed: Social Media Feeds and Customer Reviews Widget 9K+ · 3.9★ (62) wp.org #22 1 too low 22

Statify Widget 4K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #19 4 too high 24

Profile Box Shortcode And Widget 1K+ · 3.7★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #16 8 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.