wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post info”

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 info”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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

Info Cards – Add Text and Media in Card Layouts shows at wp.org #6 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 15 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

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets places #11 on merit, 4.9★ from 4132 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.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #1 ↑1 2

Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #2 ↓1 3

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #3 ↑1 4

CookieYes – Cookie Banner for Cookie Consent (Easy to setup GDPR/CCPA Compliant Cookie Notice) 1M+ · 4.8★ (3236) wp.org #5 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

WP Last Modified Info 40K+ · 4.9★ (856) wp.org #9 ↓4 3 too low 7

Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) wp.org #7 ↑2 8

Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9

Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #17 8 too low 10

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #22 ↓1 11 too low 12

Version Info – Server Health Monitor, PHP & MySQL Version Display, Environment Indicators 10K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too high 13

Post Grid Addon for Elementor 10K+ · 4.9★ (76) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too low 14

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #21 ↓2 7 too low 15

Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26) wp.org #12 3 too high 16

Archive Content with Archived Post Status 5K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 P Posts 2 Posts 9K+ · 4.8★ (101) wp.org #24 ↓1 7 too low 18

MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #13 5 too high 19

Simple Post Notes 9K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓4 1 too low 20

WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars 10K+ · 4.2★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #18 2 too high 21

Info Cards – Add Text and Media in Card Layouts 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #6 ↓1 15 too high 22

Extension Info Exporter 200+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23

Themify Portfolio Post 30K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↓1 12 too high 24

Homepage Helden Contact Info 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #23 ↑1 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.