wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wordpress admin bar”
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 “wordpress admin bar”, 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
Remove Admin Bar logo shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 1497 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #1 2 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 3 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Disable Admin Notices – Hide Dashboard Notifications 100K+ · 4.7★ (367)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #13 7 too low 7 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Auto Hide Admin Bar 3K+ · 4.8★ (32)
wp.org #5 4 too high 10 
WPFront Notification Bar 40K+ · 4.5★ (131)
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #12 1 too low 12 MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497)
wp.org #23 ↓1 11 too low 13 
Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #7 6 too high 14 
Hide Admin Bar from Non-Admins 10K+ · 4.3★ (30)
wp.org #10 4 too high 15 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #22 ↑1 7 too low 16 
Disable All WordPress Updates 20K+ · 4.8★ (69)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
Debug Bar 20K+ · 4.1★ (69)
wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too low 18 
EU Cookies Bar for WordPress 9K+ · 4.8★ (26)
wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too high 19 
Hide Admin Bar 20K+ · 4.5★ (30)
wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too high 20 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too high 21 
Cookie Bar 10K+ · 4.9★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #19 2 too high 22 
Better Admin Bar 3K+ · 4.8★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 
Simple Admin Language Change 10K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 Remove Admin Bar logo 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #14 10 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.