wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post author”
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 author”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 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
Default Post Author shows at wp.org #4 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 18 places. Its 1K+ 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
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #11 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars 10K+ · 4.2★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1236)
wp.org #8 ↑4 5 too low 4 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 
VK Post Author Display 10K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 too high 6 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #9 ↓2 3 too low 7 
Molongui Authorship – Author Boxes, Guest Authors & Co-Authors for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #11 ↑4 4 too low 8 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #10 ↓2 2 too low 9 
Simple Author Box 90K+ · 4.3★ (115) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↓2 3 too high 10 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #21 10 too low 12 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #15 ↑4 3 too low 13 
Post Type Switcher 200K+ · 4.8★ (255)
wp.org #16 ↑8 3 too low 14 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #13 ↓2 1 too high 15 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #17 ↑4 2 too low 16 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #18 ↓4 2 too low 17 
Author Avatars List/Block 4K+ · 4.8★ (32)
wp.org #12 ↓2 5 too high 18 
Guest Author 5K+ · 4.2★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓2 11 too high 19 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #20 ↓2 1 too high 22 Default Post Author 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↑5 18 too high 23 
Author Box WP Lens 900+ · 5.0★ (12) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #22 1 too high 24 
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) 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.