wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wp menu”
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 “wp menu”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
WP Menu Cart shows at wp.org #9 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 8K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 23 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Max Mega Menu places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 882 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #1 2 
WP STAGING – Backups & Restore, Migration & Clone Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups 100K+ · 4.8★ (2470)
wp.org #2 3 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #3 4 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
WP Menu Icons 20K+ · 4.9★ (139)
wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too high 6 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too low 7 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 
WP Responsive Menu 30K+ · 4.3★ (100)
wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too high 9 
WP 2FA – Two-factor authentication for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (184)
wp.org #10 ↑2 1 too low 10 Max Mega Menu 300K+ · 4.8★ (882)
wp.org #14 ↑5 4 too low 11 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #11 12 
Menu Icons by Themeisle – Add Icons to Navigation Menus 100K+ · 4.9★ (851)
wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too low 13 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too high 14 
WP Mobile Menu – The Mobile-Friendly Responsive Menu 70K+ · 4.7★ (256)
wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too low 15 
WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312)
wp.org #17 ↑4 2 too low 16 
Sticky Menu & Sticky Header 90K+ · 4.7★ (763)
wp.org #20 ↓5 4 too low 17 
Nav Menu Roles 70K+ · 4.9★ (219)
wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too low 18 WP Menu Cart 8K+ · 4.8★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑1 9 too high 19 
Responsive Menu – Mobile Menu & Hamburger Menu Builder 70K+ · 4.5★ (574)
wp.org #22 ↑1 3 too low 20 
WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490)
wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too low 21 
WP Crontrol 300K+ · 4.4★ (167)
wp.org #18 3 too high 22 
WP Bottom Menu 20K+ · 4.5★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↑1 9 too high 23 
WPS Menu Exporter 10K+ · 3.7★ (44)
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 W WP Multibyte Patch 1M+ · 5.0★ (25) host-installed base
wp.org #23 ↑1 1 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.