Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

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

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 navigator”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 3 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

Mxwlsoft Editor Post Navigator shows at wp.org #9 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its — installs carry it up the search order; its 0.0★ average from 0 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) – Quiz Maker & Survey Maker places #7 on merit, 4.7★ from 1282 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Bricks Navigator 8K+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #1 2 SimpLy Gallery 40K+ · 4.8★ (118) wp.org #2 3 LearnPress – WordPress LMS Plugin for Create and Sell Online Courses 70K+ · 4.3★ (597) wp.org #5 2 too low 4 Exclusive Addons for Elementor 50K+ · 4.7★ (47) wp.org #8 4 too low 5 Timeline Block – tell your story with elegant timelines 3K+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #3 2 too high 6 Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132) wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too low 7 Quiz and Survey Master (QSM) – Quiz Maker & Survey Maker 40K+ · 4.7★ (1282) wp.org #19 12 too low 8 Image Slider 4K+ · 3.4★ (31) wp.org #4 4 too high 9 Web and WooCommerce Addons for WPBakery Builder 1K+ · 4.4★ (7) wp.org #6 3 too high 10 Dynamic Visibility for Elementor 50K+ · 4.6★ (89) wp.org #14 4 too low 11 Visual CSS Style Editor 30K+ · 4.1★ (90) wp.org #22 11 too low 12 Kognetiks Chatbot 500+ · 4.5★ (22) wp.org #11 1 too high 13 Timeline – Tell Your Story Through Events and Milestones 2K+ · 4.3★ (6) wp.org #7 6 too high 14 BotBlocker Security – Complete security platform 3K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too high 15 DoubleScale CRM | All-in-One CRM – Sales, Multi-Channel Marketing, Newsletter, Booking, Helpdesk, Automation, MCP & More 80+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #23 ↑1 8 too low 16 Stunning Related for Posts, Products, Pages and widgets 60+ · 3.4★ (5) wp.org #10 6 too high 17 Auto Featured Image (Auto Generated) 200+ · 3.6★ (7) wp.org #16 1 too high 18 Timeline Blocks 400+ · 4.8★ (5) wp.org #20 2 too low 19 Mxwlsoft Editor Post Navigator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #9 10 too high 20 Devmont TOC Navigator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 5 too high 21 Mislav A-Z Navigator — · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 4 too high 22 Display All in One URLs 60+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #18 4 too high 23 Easy Elementor Addons – Addons Pack for Elementor Page Builder 1K+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Awesome Car Rental & Booking 40+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #24

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.