wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “different 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 “different post”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 5 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

Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts shows at wp.org #6 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 333 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

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

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #2 3

Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #3 4

Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #4 5

Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #9 ↓3 4 too low 6

Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163) wp.org #7 1 too low 7

Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #5 2 too high 8

Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31) wp.org #8 9

Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556) wp.org #18 ↑1 7 too low 12

Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint wp.org #20 ↓8 8 too low 13

WP Blog Post Layouts 9K+ · 4.7★ (83) wp.org #19 ↑1 6 too low 14

Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15

Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #6 ↑11 9 too high 16

Hide Page And Post Title 40K+ · 3.6★ (54) wp.org #15 ↑1 1 too high 17

Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #12 ↑1 5 too high 18

Different Menu in Different Pages – Conditional Menu 3K+ · 4.2★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too high 19

Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #13 ↑1 7 too high 21

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

VK Post Author Display 10K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #21 1 too high 23

Social Post Flow – Social Media Automation, Scheduling, Scheduler, Posting & Auto Post 200+ · 4.2★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24 1 too low 24

Post Layouts 900+ · 4.5★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #17 ↑1 7 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.