wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “forum 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 “forum posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Yoast Duplicate Post shows at wp.org #10 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 3M+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 538 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 913 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Asgaros Forum 10K+ · 4.7★ (210) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 ↑3 2 
Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too high 4 
wpForo Forum 20K+ · 4.7★ (390) not PHP-current
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
Contact Form 7 10M+ · 4.0★ (2186)
wp.org #5 6 
Contextual Related Posts 50K+ · 4.8★ (201)
wp.org #6 7 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #7 8 
List category posts 80K+ · 4.7★ (254)
wp.org #8 9 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #9 10 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #13 3 too low 11 User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913)
wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too low 12 
SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201)
wp.org #12 13 
bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343)
wp.org #11 2 too high 14 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too low 15 
Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153)
wp.org #14 1 too high 16 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1236)
wp.org #22 6 too low 17 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #15 ↑9 2 too high 18 Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 8 too high 19 
Related Posts for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (325)
wp.org #20 1 too low 20 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #23 ↓7 3 too low 21 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Discussion Board – WordPress Forum Plugin 1K+ · 4.6★ (43)
wp.org #19 ↓4 3 too high 23 
Dynamic Month & Year into Posts 8K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 5 too high 24 
Simple:Press Forum 300+ · 4.2★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 3 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.