wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post customization”
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 customization”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want shows at wp.org #11 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 17 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 1680 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #1 2 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #2 3 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #3 4 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #4 5 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210)
wp.org #5 6 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #6 7 
The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461)
wp.org #7 8 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #8 9 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #13 4 too low 10 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #17 7 too low 11 
Contextual Related Posts 50K+ · 4.8★ (201)
wp.org #14 3 too low 12 
Post Grid Addon for Elementor 10K+ · 4.9★ (76)
wp.org #12 13 
Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140)
wp.org #15 2 too low 14 
Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26)
wp.org #9 5 too high 15 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #10 5 too high 16 
Post to Google My Business (Google Business Profile) 10K+ · 4.9★ (159)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
List category posts 70K+ · 4.7★ (254)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #11 8 too high 20 
Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
Australia Post WooCommerce Extension 3K+ · 4.4★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 
Post Carousel Divi 2K+ · 4.9★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #19 3 too high 23 
Post Timeline 700+ · 4.2★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Default Post Author 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 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.