wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “network 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 “network posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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

Organizers Embed – Action Network for WordPress shows at wp.org #10 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Post Views Counter places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1237 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #2 3

Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #3 ↑6 1 too high 5

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #5 ↓2 6

SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 P Posts 2 Posts 9K+ · 4.8★ (101) wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9

Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237) wp.org #15 6 too low 10

Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #14 ↑2 4 too low 11

The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #13 ↑1 14

BuddyPress 90K+ · 4.1★ (375) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too low 15

Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #21 ↓6 6 too low 16

Blog2Social: Social Media Auto Post & Scheduler 40K+ · 4.5★ (2107) not PHP-current wp.org #23 ↓2 7 too low 17

WebberZone Top 10 — Popular Posts 10K+ · 4.6★ (102) wp.org #17 ↑1 18

Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too low 19

User Posts Limit 3K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #11 8 too high 20

Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current wp.org #22 ↓9 2 too low 21

NextScripts: Social Networks Auto-Poster 20K+ · 3.3★ (617) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too high 22

Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #18 4 too high 23

Organizers Embed – Action Network for WordPress 400+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #10 13 too high 24

Post Network 30+ · 0.0★ (0) thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓1

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.