wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “linked 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 “linked post”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 15 of the top 20. 5 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

Linked Open Profiles shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 60+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 418 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #1 2

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

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #5 ↑1 2 too low 4

User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913) wp.org #11 ↓4 6 too low 6

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #13 7 too low 7

WP RSS Aggregator – RSS Import, Feed to Post, Autoblogging, AI Content 40K+ · 4.5★ (565) wp.org #15 ↓3 8 too low 8

Linked Variations for WooCommerce – Link Separate Products by Attribute with Swatches, Quick View & Shortcodes 500+ · 4.2★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #2 ↑1 6 too high 9

Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #20 ↑1 11 too low 10

Bulk Edit Posts and Products in Spreadsheet 7K+ · 4.8★ (217) wp.org #18 ↑2 7 too low 12

Solid Post Likes 500+ · 4.8★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #6 ↑2 6 too high 13

CodePeople Post Map for Google Maps 3K+ · 4.2★ (31) not PHP-current wp.org #8 ↑1 5 too high 14

Lightbox with PhotoSwipe 20K+ · 4.9★ (115) wp.org #22 ↓8 8 too low 15

Post My CF7 Form 2K+ · 4.8★ (48) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 5 too high 16

Seraphinite Post .DOCX Source 800+ · 4.6★ (45) not PHP-current wp.org #12 ↑7 4 too high 17

Robo Gallery – Photo & Image Slider 40K+ · 4.3★ (406) wp.org #24 7 too low 18

Noptin – Newsletter, New Post Notifications & Email Automation 10K+ · 4.5★ (120) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 ↑2 2 too high 19

Post Export Import with Media 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #9 ↑2 10 too high 20

Push Notification for Post and BuddyPress 200+ · 4.7★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too low 21

Linked Open Profiles 60+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #7 ↓2 14 too high 22

Fancy Post Grid – Ultimate Post Grid Builder 300+ · 5.0★ (2) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #14 ↑2 8 too high 23

Clever Linked Terms 10+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #17 6 too high 24

WP Sitemap Pages and Posts 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #23 1 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.