wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post new”
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 new”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20.
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 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 #17 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 7 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
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #11 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 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.
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #1 2 
Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538)
wp.org #2 3 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #3 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #4 ↑2 1 too high 6 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #9 ↑7 3 too low 7 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too high 8 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 
Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 30K+ · 4.7★ (79)
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #13 ↓1 3 too low 11 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #19 ↓1 8 too low 12 
New User Approve 20K+ · 4.3★ (131)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 
Post Type Switcher 200K+ · 4.8★ (255)
wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too high 16 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #16 ↓1 17 
Noptin – Newsletter, New Post Notifications & Email Automation 10K+ · 4.5★ (120)
wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too high 18 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #23 ↑1 5 too low 19 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 
Public Post Preview 100K+ · 4.6★ (79)
wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #20 1 too high 22 
Auto Featured Image (Auto Post Thumbnail) 40K+ · 3.8★ (119)
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too high 24 Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #17 7 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.