wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “order 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 “order posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 4 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

Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 25 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 #10 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. 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 #1 2

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #2 3

Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162) wp.org #3 4

Advanced Order Export For WooCommerce 100K+ · 5.0★ (350) wp.org #5 ↑1 6

Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #6 ↑1 7

Order Export & Order Import for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.7★ (337) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #7 ↑1 1 too high 9

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #11 ↑4 2 too low 10

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526) wp.org #18 8 too low 11

Sequential Order Number for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.9★ (146) wp.org #12 ↓1 1 too low 12

List category posts 80K+ · 4.7★ (254) wp.org #15 ↑2 3 too low 13 P Posts 2 Posts 9K+ · 4.8★ (101) wp.org #13 ↑1 14

Intuitive Custom Post Order 400K+ · 4.4★ (139) wp.org #14 ↓2 15

Real Custom Post Order: Create a custom order for your content 8K+ · 4.8★ (42) not PHP-current wp.org #10 5 too high 16

Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153) wp.org #21 ↑1 5 too low 17

Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #8 ↓3 9 too high 18

OneClick Chat to Order 30K+ · 4.8★ (84) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #17 ↓8 1 too high 19

WP Sort Order 6K+ · 4.5★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #16 3 too high 20

BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #23 3 too low 21

WP Term Order 6K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too low 22

Order Tip for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.3★ (16) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓2 2 too high 23 P Post Order By Category 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #24 ↓3 1 too low 24

Custom Posts Order 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #19 5 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.