wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wordpress bar plugin”
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 plugin”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 3 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
MC4WP: Mailchimp Top Bar – Email Subscribe Notification Bar shows at wp.org #14 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 31 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin places #11 on merit, 4.5★ from 449 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323) not PHP-current
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #8 1 too low 8 
WPFront Notification Bar 40K+ · 4.5★ (131)
wp.org #5 3 too high 9 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #10 ↑2 1 too low 10 
MC4WP: Mailchimp for WordPress 1M+ · 4.8★ (1497)
wp.org #16 6 too low 11 wpDataTables – WordPress Data Table, Dynamic Tables & Table Charts Plugin 60K+ · 4.5★ (449)
wp.org #18 7 too low 12 
Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397)
wp.org #19 ↑2 7 too low 13 
GiveWP – Donation Plugin and Fundraising Platform 100K+ · 4.6★ (708) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14 
EU Cookies Bar for WordPress 9K+ · 4.8★ (26)
wp.org #9 5 too high 15 
Disable All WordPress Updates 20K+ · 4.8★ (69)
wp.org #15 16 
Debug Bar 20K+ · 4.1★ (69)
wp.org #13 3 too high 17 
Cookie Bar 10K+ · 4.9★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too high 18 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too low 19 
Notibar – Notification Bar for WordPress 8K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 
FancyBox for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (92)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 MC4WP: Mailchimp Top Bar – Email Subscribe Notification Bar 6K+ · 4.6★ (31) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 8 too high 23 
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #17 6 too high 24 
Mobile Contact Bar 9K+ · 4.6★ (30)
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.