wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post share”
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 share”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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
Genesis Simple Share shows at wp.org #8 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 33 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 5333 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Simple Share Buttons Adder 40K+ · 4.3★ (627)
wp.org #1 2 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #2 3 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #3 ↑3 4 
AddToAny Share Buttons 300K+ · 4.7★ (1114) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
Public Post Preview 100K+ · 4.6★ (79)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Social Share Icons & Social Share Buttons 10K+ · 4.9★ (1911) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too low 9 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333)
wp.org #21 ↓7 11 too low 11 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #12 ↑4 1 too low 12 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #14 ↓1 1 too low 14 
Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556)
wp.org #16 ↓1 2 too low 15 Genesis Simple Share 10K+ · 4.4★ (33)
wp.org #8 7 too high 16 
SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201)
wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too low 17 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 
Super Web Share – Native Social Sharing Button 2K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #13 ↓2 5 too high 19 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #19 ↑1 20 
Social Share Buttons 1K+ · 4.8★ (28)
wp.org #18 ↑1 2 too high 21 
Share Buttons & AI-powered Summaries 1K+ · 5.0★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 4 too high 22 
ShareThis Share Buttons 10K+ · 3.5★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓3 7 too high 23 
Social Share Button 1K+ · 4.1★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 
Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↑1 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.