wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “exclude 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 “exclude posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Exclude Category from Blog shows at wp.org #5 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 2617 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Search Exclude 50K+ · 4.8★ (218) wp.org #1 2

Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #2 3

Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #3 4

Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237) wp.org #9 4 too low 6

Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79) wp.org #6 ↓1 7

Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187) wp.org #8 ↑2 1 too low 8

Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9

Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153) wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too low 10

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #18 ↑1 8 too low 11

WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #21 ↑1 9 too low 13

WebberZone Top 10 — Popular Posts 10K+ · 4.6★ (102) wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15

Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint wp.org #19 ↓2 4 too low 16

Flex Posts – Responsive Posts Block 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too high 17

Ivory Search – WordPress Search Plugin 90K+ · 4.9★ (1562) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #24 ↓16 7 too low 18

Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #22 ↓2 4 too low 19

Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too high 20

Exclude Category from Blog 1K+ · 4.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #5 15 too high 21

Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #23 ↓2 2 too low 22

Unlist Posts & Pages 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too high 23

Same Category Posts 3K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too high 24

Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓2 4 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.