wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post modified”
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 modified”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Lock Last Modified Date shows at wp.org #15 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 80+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin places #6 on merit, 4.8★ from 8708 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.
WP Last Modified Info 40K+ · 4.9★ (855)
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #2 ↓1 3 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
Show modified Date in admin lists 6K+ · 4.9★ (32)
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too high 5 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #5 6 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708)
wp.org #12 ↑2 6 too low 7 
AnWP Post Grid and Post Carousel Slider for Elementor 20K+ · 4.9★ (84)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Last Modified Timestamp 6K+ · 5.0★ (28)
wp.org #6 2 too high 9 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #11 ↓3 2 too low 10 
W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94)
wp.org #10 ↓1 11 
Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140)
wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 
Auto Featured Image (Auto Post Thumbnail) 40K+ · 3.8★ (119) not PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑3 5 too high 13 
WP Blog Post Layouts 9K+ · 4.7★ (83)
wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 
Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↓1 6 too high 15 
Advanced Queries 10K+ · 4.9★ (40)
wp.org #17 ↓1 2 too low 16 P Post Carousel Slider for Elementor 3K+ · 4.5★ (50)
wp.org #24 ↓1 8 too low 17 
WP Ultimate Post Grid 4K+ · 4.4★ (32) heavy footprint
wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too low 18 
Dynamic Month & Year into Posts 8K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 5 too low 19 
Ultimate Post List 2K+ · 4.6★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 20 
CodePeople Post Map for Google Maps 3K+ · 4.2★ (31) not PHP-current
wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21 
Change Last Modified Date 3K+ · 4.3★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓5 5 too high 22 
WP Post Redirect 3K+ · 4.6★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 
Advanced Post Manager 4K+ · 3.5★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Lock Last Modified Date 80+ · 4.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #15 9 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.