wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “counts 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 “counts posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 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

Mark Posts shows at wp.org #12 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Related Posts for WordPress places #11 on merit, 4.6★ from 325 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #1 2

Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1236) wp.org #7 3 too low 5

Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79) wp.org #4 1 too high 6

List category posts 80K+ · 4.7★ (254) wp.org #6 7

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #8 1 too low 8

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525) wp.org #11 3 too low 9

Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153) wp.org #9 10

Post View Count 4K+ · 4.6★ (18) thin reviews wp.org #5 5 too high 11

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #15 3 too low 13

bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343) wp.org #17 4 too low 14

WebberZone Top 10 — Popular Posts 10K+ · 4.6★ (102) wp.org #20 6 too low 15

Posts Like Dislike 5K+ · 4.3★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #10 5 too high 16

Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #24 8 too low 17

Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #21 4 too low 18

Dynamic Month & Year into Posts 8K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews wp.org #13 5 too high 19

Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #23 4 too low 20

Mark Posts 1K+ · 4.8★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #12 8 too high 21

Page View Count 10K+ · 4.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #14 7 too high 22

Same Category Posts 3K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #19 3 too high 23

User Posts Limit 3K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too high 24

Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #16 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.