wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post scheduling”
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 scheduling”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 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
Social Post Flow – Social Media Automation, Scheduling, Scheduler, Posting & Auto Post shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 200+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 10 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Blog2Social: Social Media Auto Post & Scheduler places #12 on merit, 4.5★ from 2107 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 SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #1 2 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #2 3 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #4 ↑5 1 too low 4 
Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
EMC – Embed Calendly Scheduling With Ease 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
Appointment Booking Plugin – LatePoint | Calendar & Scheduling for WordPress 100K+ · 4.9★ (106)
wp.org #7 ↓2 1 too low 7 
Online Scheduling and Appointment Booking System – Bookly 60K+ · 4.4★ (586)
wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too low 8 
SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201)
wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 
Auto Featured Image (Auto Post Thumbnail) 40K+ · 3.8★ (119) not PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↑2 3 too high 10 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #14 ↑4 4 too low 11 
Events Manager – Calendar, Bookings, Tickets, Appointments and more! 60K+ · 4.2★ (551) not PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓3 2 too low 12 Blog2Social: Social Media Auto Post & Scheduler 40K+ · 4.5★ (2107) not PHP-current
wp.org #19 ↓1 7 too low 13 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #20 ↓4 7 too low 14 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓1 9 too low 15 
Simply Schedule Appointments 50K+ · 5.0★ (155)
wp.org #24 9 too low 16 
Easy Appointment Booking & Scheduling Plugin – Webba Booking Calendar 2K+ · 4.9★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↓2 17 
Chwazi – Delivery & Pickup Scheduling for WooCommerce 500+ · 5.0★ (30) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↓4 7 too high 18 
Timetics – Appointment Booking Calendar & Scheduling 2K+ · 4.6★ (36)
wp.org #15 ↓2 3 too high 19 
Depicter — Popup & Slider Builder 70K+ · 4.6★ (235) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↑2 3 too low 20 Social Post Flow – Social Media Automation, Scheduling, Scheduler, Posting & Auto Post 200+ · 4.2★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↑11 12 too high 21 
WP Ultimate Post Grid 4K+ · 4.4★ (32) heavy footprint
wp.org #21 22 
Auto Delete Post – Ultimate plugin for deleting a post automatically 300+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓2 5 too high 23 
Rox Appointment Booking – Event, Calendar & Appointment Scheduling 2K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑2 5 too high 24 
Missed Schedule Post Publisher 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #12 12 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.