wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post refresh”
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 refresh”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Auto Update Post Date shows at wp.org #10 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Contextual Related Posts places #11 on merit, 4.8★ from 201 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too low 2 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 
Force Refresh 4K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 too high 4 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #5 ↑3 1 too low 5 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too low 6 
Read More Without Refresh 20K+ · 4.2★ (55)
wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too high 7 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #7 ↓1 8 
Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556)
wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 
Post and Page Builder by BoldGrid – Visual Drag and Drop Editor 50K+ · 4.7★ (140)
wp.org #13 ↑2 4 too low 10 
W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94)
wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too low 11 Contextual Related Posts 50K+ · 4.8★ (201)
wp.org #17 6 too low 12 
Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26)
wp.org #9 3 too high 13 
Post to Google My Business (Google Business Profile) 10K+ · 4.9★ (159)
wp.org #22 9 too low 14 P Posts 2 Posts 9K+ · 4.8★ (101)
wp.org #20 ↓1 6 too low 15 
Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 30K+ · 4.7★ (79)
wp.org #24 9 too low 16 
Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓7 2 too low 17 
CodePeople Post Map for Google Maps 3K+ · 4.2★ (31)
wp.org #21 ↓1 4 too low 18 
Social Post Flow – Social Media Automation, Scheduling, Scheduler, Posting & Auto Post 200+ · 4.2★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #15 3 too high 19 
Auto Refresh Post & Page 80+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 11 too high 20 
Random Post on Refresh 500+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓2 3 too low 21 
Live Auto Refresh (Hot Reload / Live Reload for WordPress Developers) 100+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too high 22 Auto Update Post Date 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #10 12 too high 23 
Missed Schedule Post Publisher 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #16 7 too high 24 
Easy Auto Reload – Auto Refresh 1K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #14 10 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.