wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “grid 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 “grid posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Latest Posts Block – Dynamic Posts Grid, Posts List, Posts Tile with Stunning Layouts for WordPress Blogs & Pages shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #1 2 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #2 3 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #3 4 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #4 5 
AnWP Post Grid and Post Carousel Slider for Elementor 20K+ · 4.9★ (84)
wp.org #5 6 
Post Grid Addon for Elementor 10K+ · 4.9★ (76)
wp.org #6 7 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210)
wp.org #12 3 too low 10 
Contextual Related Posts 50K+ · 4.8★ (201)
wp.org #13 3 too low 11 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #10 1 too high 12 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #15 ↓5 3 too low 13 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #19 ↓2 6 too low 14 
Image Photo Gallery Final Tiles Grid 20K+ · 4.7★ (353)
wp.org #21 ↓12 7 too low 15 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #22 ↓3 7 too low 16 
Smart Grid-Layout Design for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.5★ (72)
wp.org #14 ↑6 2 too high 17 
Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 30K+ · 4.7★ (79)
wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too high 18 
Spectra Legacy – Gutenberg Blocks 1M+ · 4.7★ (1872)
wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 
Product Category Slider & Grid for WooCommerce – Reno Product Category 9K+ · 4.8★ (91)
wp.org #18 ↓2 1 too high 20 
WP Ultimate Post Grid 4K+ · 4.4★ (32)
wp.org #11 9 too high 21 
Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79)
wp.org #20 ↓2 1 too high 22 
Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26)
wp.org #17 ↓2 5 too high 23 
Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 Latest Posts Block – Dynamic Posts Grid, Posts List, Posts Tile with Stunning Layouts for WordPress Blogs & Pages 6K+ · 4.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #8 16 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.