wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “future post type”
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 “future post type”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 4 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
Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin places #10 on merit, 4.0★ from 556 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #1 2 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #2 3 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #3 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too high 7 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #9 10 Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556)
wp.org #14 4 too low 11 
W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94)
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 
Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) 10K+ · 4.9★ (80)
wp.org #15 3 too low 13 
The Future Is Now 1K+ · 4.7★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #8 5 too high 14 
Post to Google My Business (Google Business Profile) 10K+ · 4.9★ (159) not PHP-current
wp.org #18 4 too low 15 
Real Custom Post Order: Create a custom order for your content 8K+ · 4.8★ (42) not PHP-current
wp.org #12 3 too high 16 
Intuitive Custom Post Order 400K+ · 4.4★ (139)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
Speed Optimizer – The All-In-One Performance-Boosting Plugin 1M+ · 4.2★ (641)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #10 8 too high 19 
Post Pay Counter 1K+ · 4.8★ (46) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 
Event Post 1K+ · 4.3★ (35) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 3 too high 21 
FormsDB – Save Elementor Forms to Google Sheets & Post Type 20K+ · 4.6★ (19) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 
CodePeople Post Map for Google Maps 3K+ · 4.2★ (31) not PHP-current
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Extended Post Status 1K+ · 4.5★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 
Post Lockdown 1K+ · 4.6★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 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.