wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post list”
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 list”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 4 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
Post List Designer – Category Post, Recent Post, Post List shows at wp.org #8 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 11 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Post Views Counter places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 1236 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94)
wp.org #1 2 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #2 3 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #6 ↓1 3 too low 4 
Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #5 ↑5 6 Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1236)
wp.org #12 6 too low 7 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89)
wp.org #7 8 
List category posts 80K+ · 4.7★ (254)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #10 ↓7 1 too low 10 
Ultimate Post List 2K+ · 4.6★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #4 ↑2 6 too high 11 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too low 12 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #20 ↑1 7 too low 14 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #17 ↑2 3 too low 15 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #18 ↓6 3 too low 16 
WP Popular Posts 100K+ · 4.5★ (249)
wp.org #23 ↓4 7 too low 17 
VS Event List 8K+ · 4.9★ (82)
wp.org #21 ↓6 4 too low 18 
Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Post List Designer – Category Post, Recent Post, Post List 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #8 11 too high 20 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
List categories 5K+ · 4.5★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 
Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too high 23 
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Colored Admin Post List 400+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑2 10 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.