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

Blog Floating Button shows at wp.org #14 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 8K+ 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

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #1 2

Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 30K+ · 4.7★ (79) wp.org #2 3

WP Blog Post Layouts 9K+ · 4.7★ (83) wp.org #3 ↑3 4

MailPoet – Newsletters, Email Marketing, and Automation 500K+ · 4.4★ (1435) heavy footprint wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6

Blog Filter – Post Grid Filter by Category or Tag 7K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #5 ↑2 1 too high 7

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525) wp.org #12 ↑2 4 too low 9

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #10 ↑3 1 too low 10

SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201) wp.org #9 ↑1 1 too high 11

Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #7 ↑1 4 too high 12

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #11 1 too high 13

List category posts 80K+ · 4.7★ (254) wp.org #16 ↑1 3 too low 14

Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153) wp.org #17 ↑2 3 too low 15

Simple Blog Stats 4K+ · 4.9★ (38) wp.org #15 ↑1 16

Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint wp.org #21 ↑1 5 too low 17

Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79) wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too low 19

Disable Blog 20K+ · 4.7★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓1 6 too high 20

Print My Blog – Print, PDF, & eBook Converter WordPress Plugin 8K+ · 4.8★ (115) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too high 22

Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↑1 23

Blog Floating Button 8K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↑1 9 too high 24

Classic Blog Grid 3K+ · 3.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24

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.