wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wordpress menu icon”
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 menu icon”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Icon List Block – Add Icon-Based Lists with Custom Styles shows at wp.org #15 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.7★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Menu Icons by Themeisle – Add Icons to Navigation Menus 100K+ · 4.9★ (851)
wp.org #1 2 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157)
wp.org #2 3 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #3 4 
WP Menu Icons 20K+ · 4.9★ (139)
wp.org #4 5 
Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (576)
wp.org #7 ↓1 8 
Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859)
wp.org #8 ↑2 9 
WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256)
wp.org #9 10 
BackWPup – WordPress Backup & Restore Plugin 400K+ · 4.0★ (1323)
wp.org #10 ↑2 11 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #21 ↓1 10 too low 12 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #17 ↑5 5 too low 13 
WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100)
wp.org #11 ↑2 2 too high 14 
Orbit Fox: Duplicate Page, Menu Icons, SVG Support, Cookie Notice, Custom Fonts & More 100K+ · 4.8★ (317)
wp.org #22 8 too low 15 
Menu Cart for WooCommerce 70K+ · 4.6★ (99)
wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too low 16 
Iks Menu – WordPress Category Accordion Menu & FAQs 10K+ · 5.0★ (27)
wp.org #13 ↑1 3 too high 17 
Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓4 5 too high 18 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
Float menu – awesome floating side menu 30K+ · 4.4★ (41)
wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too high 20 
Simple Floating Menu 10K+ · 5.0★ (38)
wp.org #20 ↑1 21 
WP Bottom Menu 20K+ · 4.5★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #19 2 too high 22 
WP Menu Cart 8K+ · 4.8★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Ollie Menu Designer 6K+ · 5.0★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #18 5 too high 24 Icon List Block – Add Icon-Based Lists with Custom Styles 4K+ · 3.7★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓4 9 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.