wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “list 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 “list posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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

List categories shows at wp.org #9 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 15 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Simple Custom Post Order places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 587 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

List category posts 80K+ · 4.7★ (254) wp.org #1 2

Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89) wp.org #2 1 too high 4

Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #5 6

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #7 1 too low 7

W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94) wp.org #6 1 too high 8

Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #8 ↑8 9

VS Event List 8K+ · 4.9★ (82) wp.org #12 ↑6 1 too low 12

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #19 7 too low 13

Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79) wp.org #13 ↓2 14

SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201) wp.org #22 8 too low 15

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #20 5 too low 16

List categories 5K+ · 4.5★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #9 ↓1 7 too high 17

Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153) wp.org #23 6 too low 18

Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too high 20

Ultimate Post List 2K+ · 4.6★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓2 7 too high 22

Unlist Posts & Pages 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #24 2 too low 23

Post List Designer – Category Post, Recent Post, Post List 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too high 24

Icon List Block – Add Icon-Based Lists with Custom Styles 4K+ · 3.7★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓5 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.