wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post category”
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 category”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Same Category Posts shows at wp.org #14 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 13 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 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. 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 ↑5 1 too high 5 
List category posts 80K+ · 4.7★ (254)
wp.org #5 6 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #7 ↓3 1 too low 7 
Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 
Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79)
wp.org #8 ↓1 9 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #10 ↑3 1 too low 10 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #22 12 too low 11 
Post Category Filter (WP Admin) 1K+ · 5.0★ (25)
wp.org #9 ↑3 2 too high 12 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #18 ↑1 6 too low 13 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #13 ↓3 14 
Remove Category URL – Remove ‘category’ base from category permalinks 40K+ · 4.3★ (61)
wp.org #11 ↑3 3 too high 15 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #16 ↑1 1 too low 16 
Ultimate Category Excluder 50K+ · 4.3★ (78)
wp.org #12 ↑3 4 too high 17 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #23 6 too low 18 
Bulk remove posts from category 10K+ · 4.6★ (100)
wp.org #19 ↑1 1 too low 19 
Product Category Slider & Grid for WooCommerce – Reno Product Category 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓4 4 too high 20 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 21 Same Category Posts 3K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑2 7 too high 22 P Post Order By Category 1K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 5 too high 23 
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
No Category Parents 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #21 3 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.