wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “current post”

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 “current post”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 3 plugins are 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

Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want shows at wp.org #10 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 17 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Duplicate Post places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 1623 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

Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #1 2

Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #2 ↓1 3

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #3 ↓1 4

Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #4 ↓1 5

Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #5 ↓1 6

Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint wp.org #6 ↓1 7

Shortcode for Current Date 10K+ · 5.0★ (116) wp.org #7 ↓1 8

Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too low 9

Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187) wp.org #8 1 too high 10

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11

W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94) wp.org #11 ↓1 12

Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too low 13

Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint wp.org #22 9 too low 14

Duplicate Page and Post 70K+ · 4.6★ (29) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 ↓2 5 too high 15

Advanced Queries 10K+ · 4.9★ (40) wp.org #21 ↓1 6 too low 16

Hide Page And Post Title 40K+ · 3.6★ (54) wp.org #16 ↓1 17

Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #10 ↓1 8 too high 19

Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↓2 3 too low 21

Solid Post Likes 500+ · 4.8★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22

Post Type Transfer 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓1 5 too high 23

Wp Post Views – WordPress Post views counter 4K+ · 4.4★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too high 24

Auto Update Post Date 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓1

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.