wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “delete old 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 “delete old posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 16 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
Auto Post Cleaner shows at wp.org #6 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 3220 reviews, but shows at wp.org #24. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153)
wp.org #1 2 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
Bulk Delete 30K+ · 4.3★ (129)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #8 4 too low 5 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #10 5 too low 6 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #15 9 too low 7 
Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556)
wp.org #11 4 too low 8 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #13 5 too low 9 
Media Cleaner: Delete Unused Images & Clean Your Media Library 90K+ · 4.6★ (779)
wp.org #14 ↓2 5 too low 10 
Republish Old Posts 2K+ · 4.3★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #3 7 too high 11 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3220)
wp.org #24 13 too low 12 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706)
wp.org #23 11 too low 13 
WP Frontend Delete Account 4K+ · 4.6★ (27)
wp.org #9 4 too high 14 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #17 ↑2 3 too low 15 
Auto Delete Post – Ultimate plugin for deleting a post automatically 300+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #5 10 too high 16 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #22 ↓6 6 too low 17 
Bulk Edit Posts and Products in Spreadsheet 7K+ · 4.8★ (217)
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
DX Delete Attached Media 3K+ · 4.9★ (28)
wp.org #12 6 too high 19 
Redirection 2M+ · 4.4★ (703)
wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too low 20 
Slugs Manager: Delete Old Permalinks from WordPress Database 3K+ · 4.2★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #7 13 too high 21 
Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 5 too high 22 
Media Hygiene: Remove or Delete Unused Images and More! 4K+ · 4.2★ (41)
wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Auto Post Cleaner 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #6 17 too high 24 
Users Bulk Delete With Preview 100+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑1 5 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.