Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 listing”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts shows at wp.org #5 but places #14 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 4625 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.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory 9K+ · 4.8★ (138) wp.org #1 2 Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80) wp.org #2 3 GeoDirectory – WP Business Directory Plugin and Classified Listings Directory 10K+ · 4.8★ (716) wp.org #3 4 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #4 ↑1 5 Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680) wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too low 6 Business Directory Plugin – Easy Listing & Member Directories for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (504) wp.org #7 ↑8 1 too low 7 Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #13 ↑10 5 too low 9 HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (221) wp.org #11 ↑9 2 too low 10 Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187) wp.org #9 1 too high 11 Easy Property Listings 5K+ · 4.7★ (112) wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too low 12 Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154) wp.org #17 ↓11 5 too low 13 HireZoot – Job Listings, Career Page & Recruitment Tool 30K+ · 4.8★ (194) wp.org #20 ↓9 7 too low 14 Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) wp.org #5 9 too high 15 Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #24 9 too low 16 W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94) wp.org #21 5 too low 17 Post Type Transfer 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #10 ↑2 7 too high 18 Tabbed Category Product Listing for Woocommerce 1K+ · 4.9★ (28) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too high 19 Hide Page And Post Title 40K+ · 3.6★ (54) wp.org #19 20 MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 WP Maps – Google Maps, OpenStreetMap, Mapbox, Store Locator with Search, Filters & Listings 60K+ · 4.3★ (122) wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) wp.org #16 6 too high 23 Advanced Post Manager 4K+ · 3.5★ (11) wp.org #15 ↓1 8 too high 24 WP Hide Post — Hide Posts, Pages, Custom Post Types, and Control Products Visibility for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) 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.