wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “ascending posts”

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 “ascending posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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

WP Sitemap Pages and Posts shows at wp.org #4 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Real Media Library: Media Library Folder & File Manager places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 298 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #1 2

Category Posts in Custom Menu 2K+ · 4.8★ (43) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

Posts Table with Search & Sort 3K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #2 1 too high 4

Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #5 1 too low 5

Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 30K+ · 4.7★ (79) wp.org #7 2 too low 6

WP Blog Post Layouts 9K+ · 4.7★ (83) wp.org #8 2 too low 7

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #20 ↑1 13 too low 8

Real Media Library: Media Library Folder & File Manager 100K+ · 4.8★ (298) wp.org #22 ↓2 14 too low 9

WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312) wp.org #23 14 too low 10

Quick and Easy FAQs 10K+ · 4.6★ (36) wp.org #14 4 too low 11

Ascending Posts by Fly Plugins 400+ · 3.7★ (15) thin reviewsstale but ranked wp.org #6 5 too high 12 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89) wp.org #24 12 too low 13

Post Carousel Divi 2K+ · 4.9★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #11 2 too high 14 P Post Carousel Slider for Elementor 3K+ · 4.5★ (50) wp.org #19 5 too low 15 P Post Order By Category 900+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #9 6 too high 16

Post List Designer – Category Post, Recent Post, Post List 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #10 ↑2 6 too high 17

Post Timeline 700+ · 4.2★ (21) thin reviews wp.org #16 1 too high 18

Ultimate Post List 2K+ · 4.6★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #17 1 too high 19

Post Grid Master — Post Grids & AJAX Filters 1K+ · 4.5★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20

WP Sitemap Pages and Posts 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #4 16 too high 21

Admin Posts Navigation 100+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #13 9 too high 23

Essential Content Types 20K+ · 3.7★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #18 5 too high 24

Embedded Posts 50+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #15 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.