wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wordpress 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 bar”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus shows at wp.org #12 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 24 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1199 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157)
wp.org #1 2 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #2 3 
Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
WPFront Notification Bar 40K+ · 4.5★ (131)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497)
wp.org #13 6 too low 8 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205)
wp.org #16 8 too low 9 My Sticky Bar – Floating Notification Bar & Sticky Header (formerly myStickymenu) 100K+ · 4.9★ (1199)
wp.org #19 10 too low 10 
EU Cookies Bar for WordPress 9K+ · 4.8★ (26)
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
Disable All WordPress Updates 20K+ · 4.8★ (69)
wp.org #11 12 
Debug Bar 20K+ · 4.1★ (69)
wp.org #9 3 too high 13 
Cookie Bar 10K+ · 4.9★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #8 5 too high 14 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #20 6 too low 15 
Notibar – Notification Bar for WordPress 8K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #14 1 too high 16 
MC4WP: Mailchimp Top Bar – Email Subscribe Notification Bar 6K+ · 4.6★ (31)
wp.org #10 6 too high 17 
FancyBox for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (92)
wp.org #17 18 
FG Joomla to WordPress 7K+ · 4.7★ (336)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #12 7 too high 20 
Speed Contact Bar 4K+ · 4.6★ (56)
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
Mobile Contact Bar 9K+ · 4.6★ (30)
wp.org #15 6 too high 22 
Progress Bar 1K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too high 23 
Auto Hide Admin Bar 3K+ · 4.8★ (32)
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Hide Admin Bar Based on User Roles – Disable the WordPress Toolbar by Role or Capability 20K+ · 3.9★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 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.