wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post date”
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 date”, 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
Auto Update Post Date shows at wp.org #2 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 2K+ 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 #7 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. 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 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #3 ↑4 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1236)
wp.org #7 ↑15 2 too low 6 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #13 ↑5 6 too low 8 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 W WP Meta and Date Remover 80K+ · 4.2★ (71)
wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too high 10 
پارسی دیت – Parsi Date 100K+ · 4.6★ (130)
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too low 11 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too low 12 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #12 ↓1 13 
WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too high 14 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #22 ↓7 8 too low 15 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #18 ↓2 3 too low 16 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↑9 1 too high 17 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #23 ↓3 6 too low 18 Auto Update Post Date 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #2 16 too high 19 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #21 ↓2 2 too low 20 
Persian Date 2K+ · 4.5★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓3 4 too high 21 
Bangla Date Display 4K+ · 4.6★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓3 4 too high 22 
Order Delivery Date for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.3★ (61) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓1 2 too low 23 
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 
Nepali Date Converter 800+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓2 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.