wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “limit 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 “limit posts”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 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

Limit Post Add-On shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #2 1 too low 2

User Posts Limit 3K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #1 1 too high 3

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

Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #4 1 too high 6

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #6 7

Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1236) wp.org #9 ↑14 2 too low 8

User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913) wp.org #10 2 too low 9

Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153) wp.org #7 2 too high 10

SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201) wp.org #8 2 too high 11

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #11 12

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525) wp.org #13 ↑2 1 too low 13

Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #23 ↓14 8 too low 16

Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187) wp.org #21 ↑3 5 too low 17

Flex Posts – Responsive Posts Block 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too high 18

Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #22 ↓1 4 too low 19

WebberZone Top 10 — Popular Posts 10K+ · 4.6★ (102) wp.org #24 5 too low 20

Reorder Posts – Quick Post Type and Page Ordering 10K+ · 3.9★ (28) wp.org #20 1 too high 22

Mark Posts 1K+ · 4.8★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #18 4 too high 23

Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #17 6 too high 24

Limit Post Add-On 300+ · 3.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #12 12 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.