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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wordpress dark mode”

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 dark mode”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

AboveWP Admin Dark Mode shows at wp.org #8 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 90+ 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

MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 2354 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Dark Mode – Improve Accessibility with AI Powered Dark Theme 20K+ · 4.5★ (391) wp.org #1 2 Dark Mode for WP Dashboard 3K+ · 4.8★ (34) wp.org #2 3 AI Engine – MCP Server & AI Chatbot for WordPress, with Claude, ChatGPT & Gemini 90K+ · 4.9★ (874) wp.org #11 ↑4 8 too low 4 Darkify – Dark Mode & Night Mode for Website & Admin (Dark Theme Included) 1K+ · 4.7★ (27) wp.org #4 ↑2 5 Darklup – Enhanced WordPress Dark Mode, Dark Theme, Night Mode & Accessibility Plugin 1K+ · 4.5★ (44) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Cookie Compliance for WordPress – Cookie Consent, GDPR & CCPA 800K+ · 4.8★ (3026) wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too low 7 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too low 8 DarkLooks – Dark Mode Switcher For WordPress 800+ · 4.8★ (16) wp.org #5 ↓1 3 too high 9 Dark Mode Toggle 2K+ · 4.6★ (19) wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too high 10 MainWP Dashboard: Self-hosted WordPress Management for Agencies 20K+ · 4.9★ (2354) wp.org #24 14 too low 11 Markdown Editor (Formerly Dark Mode) 1K+ · 3.3★ (86) wp.org #10 1 too high 12 ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #20 8 too low 13 Dark Reader – Beautiful Dark Mode for any Website 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 OpenStation – Admin Dashboard Notes, Custom Dashboard, AI Assistant & PWA 1K+ · 5.0★ (23) wp.org #18 4 too low 15 DarkMySite – Advanced Dark Mode Plugin for WordPress 900+ · 4.7★ (14) wp.org #17 ↓4 2 too low 16 Coming Soon Maintenance Mode 6K+ · 4.7★ (3) wp.org #9 ↓1 7 too high 17 AEO God Mode – AI Search Visibility 300+ · 5.0★ (4) wp.org #19 ↓3 2 too low 18 AboveWP Admin Dark Mode 90+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #8 ↑1 10 too high 19 Dark Mode for Elementor – Global colors mapping 50+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #13 ↑6 6 too high 20 SVisciano – Light-Dark Theme Mode 20+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Browser Theme Color – Address Bar Color & Dark Mode 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #14 7 too high 22 Onyx Dark Mode Switcher 300+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 WP Maintenance Mode & Site Under Construction 3K+ · 3.5★ (4) wp.org #23 24 DarkAdmin – Dark Mode for Adminpanel 100+ · 3.0★ (1) wp.org #16 ↓4 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.