wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post sharing”
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 sharing”, we agree with wp.org 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
Sharing Image shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 3 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons places #4 on merit, 4.8★ from 5333 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Scriptless Social Sharing 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #1 2 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Social Sharing (by Danny) 2K+ · 5.0★ (68)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333)
wp.org #11 7 too low 5 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #5 6 
Ocean Social Sharing 60K+ · 4.5★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #2 4 too high 7 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820)
wp.org #12 5 too low 8 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #8 9 
Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194)
wp.org #10 1 too low 10 
Blog2Social: Social Media Auto Post & Scheduler 40K+ · 4.5★ (2107)
wp.org #16 6 too low 11 
Social Sharing Block 7K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #6 5 too high 12 
Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #17 4 too low 14 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #9 5 too high 15 
Hubbub Lite – Fast, free social sharing and follow buttons 30K+ · 4.7★ (173)
wp.org #15 16 
SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201)
wp.org #19 3 too low 17 
Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) 10K+ · 4.9★ (80)
wp.org #18 1 too low 18 
Post Pay Counter 1K+ · 4.8★ (46)
wp.org #14 4 too high 19 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Super Web Share – Native Social Sharing Button 2K+ · 4.9★ (29)
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 Sharing Image 600+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #7 14 too high 22 
Social Post Flow – Social Media Automation, Scheduling, Scheduler, Posting & Auto Post 200+ · 4.2★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
WP Hide Post — Hide Posts, Pages, Custom Post Types, and Control Products Visibility for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #21 2 too high 24 
Post Grid & Post Slider – Carousel, Filter Tabs & Related Posts 1K+ · 4.3★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #24 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.