wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post categories”
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 categories”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
List categories shows at wp.org #6 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 15 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 #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 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.
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #1 2 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too low 4 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #3 ↑3 1 too high 5 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #5 6 
List category posts 80K+ · 4.7★ (254)
wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too low 7 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #7 ↑2 8 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #10 ↑2 2 too low 9 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #15 6 too low 10 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 
Bulk remove posts from category 10K+ · 4.6★ (100)
wp.org #11 ↑2 12 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #16 ↑6 4 too low 13 List categories 5K+ · 4.5★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #6 ↑2 7 too high 14 
Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158)
wp.org #17 ↓2 3 too low 15 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 2 too high 16 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #19 ↓2 3 too low 17 
Media Library Categories 20K+ · 4.2★ (52)
wp.org #14 3 too high 18 
Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79)
wp.org #18 ↓2 19 P Post Tags and Categories for Pages 20K+ · 4.8★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 7 too high 20 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 
Category Order and Taxonomy Terms Order 500K+ · 4.5★ (162)
wp.org #23 ↓2 2 too low 22 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #22 ↓2 23 
Auto Featured Image (Auto Post Thumbnail) 40K+ · 3.8★ (119) not PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too high 24 
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #20 4 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.