wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post design”
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 design”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 3 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
Envision Posts Design shows at wp.org #7 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 90+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 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 1526 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.
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #2 ↑4 3 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #15 ↑1 8 too low 8 
Public Post Preview 100K+ · 4.6★ (79)
wp.org #8 ↓1 9 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too low 10 
Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #17 ↑1 7 too low 11 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #19 ↑3 7 too low 13 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #10 ↓2 3 too high 14 
WP Content Copy Protection with Color Design 5K+ · 4.5★ (25)
wp.org #9 5 too high 15 
Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140)
wp.org #20 ↑1 5 too low 16 
AnWP Post Grid and Post Carousel Slider for Elementor 20K+ · 4.9★ (84)
wp.org #21 5 too low 17 
Post Grid Addon for Elementor 10K+ · 4.9★ (76)
wp.org #22 ↑1 5 too low 18 
Auto Featured Image (Auto Post Thumbnail) 40K+ · 3.8★ (119) not PHP-current
wp.org #14 4 too high 19 
Kadence Blocks — Page Builder Toolkit for Gutenberg Editor 600K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↑1 4 too high 21 
Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑2 3 too high 22 
Solid Post Likes 500+ · 4.8★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Blogsqode – Blog Layouts and News Post Design 300+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #12 11 too high 24 Envision Posts Design 90+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑4 17 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.