wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post archive”
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 “post archive”, 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
Archive Page shows at wp.org #13 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 700+ 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.
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #1 2 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1236)
wp.org #4 ↑6 2 too low 3 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #3 4 
Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
Archive Content with Archived Post Status 5K+ · 4.9★ (36)
wp.org #5 ↑9 6 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #9 ↓3 3 too low 7 
Smart Archive Page Remove 6K+ · 4.9★ (59)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #7 ↓3 1 too high 9 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #10 ↓3 1 too low 10 
Simple Yearly Archive 6K+ · 4.7★ (30)
wp.org #8 ↓3 2 too high 11 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too low 12 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #12 ↓4 13 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↑5 2 too high 14 
JS Archive List 3K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #16 ↓3 2 too low 15 
AnWP Post Grid and Post Carousel Slider for Elementor 20K+ · 4.9★ (84)
wp.org #24 9 too low 16 
W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94)
wp.org #22 ↓1 6 too low 17 
HappyAddons for Elementor – 160 Elementor Widgets, GSAP Animations & Templates 400K+ · 4.8★ (489) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 
WP Blog Post Layouts 9K+ · 4.7★ (83)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #17 2 too high 20 
Post List Designer – Category Post, Recent Post, Post List 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 22 Archive Page 700+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓4 9 too high 23 
Internet Archive Wayback Machine Link Fixer 1K+ · 3.8★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓4 8 too high 24 
Hide Author Archive 500+ · 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.