wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post object”
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 object”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
JSM Show Post Metadata shows at wp.org #10 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 12 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
W3 Total Cache places #11 on merit, 4.4★ from 5420 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 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
SQLite Object Cache 10K+ · 5.0★ (51)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1238)
wp.org #6 ↑3 2 too low 5 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
Docket Cache – Object Cache Accelerator 20K+ · 4.9★ (50)
wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too high 7 
Post Type Switcher 200K+ · 4.8★ (255)
wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too low 8 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #11 3 too low 9 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too high 10 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #12 ↑5 2 too low 11 W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too low 12 A ACF Post-2-Post 3K+ · 5.0★ (39)
wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too high 13 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #13 ↓1 14 
bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343)
wp.org #14 ↓1 15 
Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140)
wp.org #21 6 too low 16 JSM Show Post Metadata 10K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #10 6 too high 17 
Advanced Queries 10K+ · 4.9★ (40)
wp.org #20 3 too low 18 
Archive Content with Archived Post Status 5K+ · 4.9★ (36)
wp.org #18 ↓3 19 
MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓3 2 too high 20 
Posts Like Dislike 5K+ · 4.3★ (23) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too high 21 
WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars 10K+ · 4.2★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Post Type Transfer 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↑6 6 too high 23 C Culture Object 40+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓3 1 too high 24 
Missed Schedule Post Publisher 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #23 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.