wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “load more 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 “load more 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

Query Loop Load More shows at wp.org #5 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 19 places. Its 800+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 3 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 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #1 2

Ajax Load More – Infinite Scroll, Load More, & Lazy Load 30K+ · 4.8★ (287) wp.org #2 3

Smush – Image Optimization, Compression, Lazy Load, WebP & CDN 1M+ · 4.8★ (6053) wp.org #3 4

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #4 5

Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6

a3 Lazy Load 80K+ · 4.3★ (148) wp.org #6 ↑1 7

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too low 8

LazyLoad Plugin – Lazy Load Images, Videos, and Iframes 100K+ · 4.2★ (139) wp.org #8 ↑1 9

Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current wp.org #9 ↓1 10

Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #10 11

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #13 2 too low 12

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525) wp.org #22 ↓1 10 too low 13

Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too high 14

The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #23 7 too low 17

hCaptcha for WP 70K+ · 4.6★ (88) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too high 18

Load More Anything 5K+ · 4.5★ (73) wp.org #14 4 too high 19 P Posts 2 Posts 9K+ · 4.8★ (101) wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too low 20

SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201) wp.org #24 4 too low 21

Lazy Load for Videos 9K+ · 4.4★ (105) not PHP-current wp.org #17 ↑5 4 too high 22

Plugin Load Filter 7K+ · 4.8★ (52) wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23

Disqus Conditional Load 3K+ · 4.5★ (64) wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too high 24

Query Loop Load More 800+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #5 19 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.