wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post lists”
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 lists”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Ultimate Post List shows at wp.org #12 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 265 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.
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #1 2 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #4 2 too low 3 
Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #3 ↑4 1 too high 5 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #5 ↓2 6 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #7 ↑6 1 too low 7 
W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #8 ↓2 9 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too low 10 
List category posts 80K+ · 4.7★ (254)
wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11 The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #15 4 too low 12 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #11 ↓1 1 too high 13 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
WP Popular Posts 100K+ · 4.5★ (249)
wp.org #18 4 too low 15 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #23 ↓1 8 too low 16 
Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #9 7 too high 17 P Page-list 30K+ · 4.7★ (89)
wp.org #22 ↓1 5 too low 18 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
Public Post Preview 100K+ · 4.6★ (79)
wp.org #20 ↓1 1 too low 20 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 3 too high 21 Ultimate Post List 2K+ · 4.6★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 9 too high 22 
Auto Featured Image (Auto Post Thumbnail) 40K+ · 3.8★ (119) not PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too high 23 
Post List Designer – Category Post, Recent Post, Post List 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #16 7 too high 24 
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #19 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.