wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “like 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 “like posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 2 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

Easy Social Like Box – Popup – Sidebar Widget shows at wp.org #11 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 6K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 18 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #12 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #1 2

Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #3 1 too low 3

Posts Like Dislike 5K+ · 4.3★ (23) thin reviews wp.org #2 2 too high 5

Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #5 1 too high 7

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #7 8

WP ULike – Like Buttons, Voting & Engagement Analytics 60K+ · 4.8★ (283) wp.org #9 1 too low 9

List category posts 80K+ · 4.7★ (254) wp.org #14 ↓1 5 too low 10

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #16 6 too low 11

Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #8 3 too high 12

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526) wp.org #23 11 too low 13

User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913) wp.org #22 9 too low 14

Like Button Rating ♥ LikeBtn 3K+ · 4.4★ (273) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 4 too high 15

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #15 16

SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201) wp.org #17 1 too low 17

Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153) wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too low 18

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #19 ↓1 20

Contact Form 7 10M+ · 4.0★ (2186) wp.org #21 1 too low 21

Easy Social Like Box – Popup – Sidebar Widget 6K+ · 4.4★ (18) thin reviews wp.org #11 10 too high 22

Solid Post Likes 500+ · 4.8★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #12 10 too high 23

Unlist Posts & Pages 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #20 3 too high 24

Social Like Box and Page by WpDevArt 5K+ · 4.2★ (88) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #24

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.