wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “html 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 “html post”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Kwayy HTML Sitemap shows at wp.org #9 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 18 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 265 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. 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 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #2 3 
Insert Html Snippet 20K+ · 4.9★ (237)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
HTML Forms – Simple WordPress Forms Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (57)
wp.org #5 6 
HTML Editor Syntax Highlighter 60K+ · 4.4★ (110)
wp.org #6 7 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #8 ↑2 1 too low 8 The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 
Post Type Switcher 200K+ · 4.8★ (255)
wp.org #13 ↑1 4 too low 10 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #10 ↑1 11 
HTML Page Sitemap (Block and Shortcode) 10K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑1 4 too high 12 
Email Template Designer – WP HTML Mail 20K+ · 4.8★ (87)
wp.org #14 ↓7 2 too low 13 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too low 14 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #21 ↑2 7 too low 15 
Minify HTML 10K+ · 4.7★ (33)
wp.org #15 16 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
Hierarchical HTML Sitemap 4K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑1 6 too high 18 Kwayy HTML Sitemap 6K+ · 4.7★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #9 9 too high 19 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓8 5 too low 20 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #23 3 too low 21 
Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑1 2 too high 22 
WP Simple HTML Sitemap 3K+ · 4.9★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too high 23 
Always Edit In HTML 1K+ · 4.4★ (7) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑2 1 too high 24 D Display HTML Sitemap 1K+ · 4.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 6 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.