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

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 rates”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 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

Mortgage Rates shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 300+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #5 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 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 signals wp.org

Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528) wp.org #1 2

Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #2 3

Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706) wp.org #6 ↓3 3 too low 4

Table Rate Shipping for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.5★ (74) wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5

WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387) wp.org #19 ↓1 14 too low 6

Shipping Live Rates for USPS for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.7★ (30) wp.org #7 ↑5 1 too low 7

WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209) wp.org #21 ↓2 14 too low 8

kk Star Ratings – Rate Post & Collect User Feedbacks 70K+ · 3.9★ (171) wp.org #12 ↓1 4 too low 9

Exchange Rates 800+ · 4.2★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #5 ↑1 5 too high 11

Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current wp.org #23 12 too low 12

Shipping Live rates for Canada Post for WooCommerce 400+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #3 ↑1 9 too high 13

WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (759) wp.org #24 11 too low 14

Easyship WooCommerce Shipping Rates 2K+ · 4.2★ (54) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↓1 4 too high 15

WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars 10K+ · 4.2★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17

Shipping Live Rates for FedEx for WooCommerce 2K+ · 4.4★ (27) wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too high 18

Australia Post WooCommerce Extension 3K+ · 4.4★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓1 1 too high 19

Exchange Rates Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #4 ↑1 15 too high 20

Post Type Transfer 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #13 7 too high 21

Shipping Live rates for Australia Post for WooCommerce 400+ · 4.6★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #11 ↓1 10 too high 22

Social Post Flow – Social Media Automation, Scheduling, Scheduler, Posting & Auto Post 200+ · 4.2★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #14 8 too high 23

Post Layouts 900+ · 4.5★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #20 3 too high 24

Mortgage Rates 300+ · 4.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #8 ↓1 16 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.