wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post sorting”
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 sorting”, 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
Post Type Transfer shows at wp.org #14 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 2K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 333 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #1 2 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #2 3 
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #3 4 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1238)
wp.org #4 ↑3 5 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #5 ↑1 6 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #10 ↑5 4 too low 7 
WP Popular Posts 100K+ · 4.5★ (249)
wp.org #7 ↓3 8 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #6 ↑2 2 too high 9 Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #16 ↓4 7 too low 10 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too low 11 
Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26)
wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too high 12 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510)
wp.org #13 1 too low 13 
Real Custom Post Order: Create a custom order for your content 8K+ · 4.8★ (42)
wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too high 14 
YMC Filter 4K+ · 4.8★ (34)
wp.org #12 ↓7 2 too high 15 
Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158)
wp.org #20 ↓1 5 too low 16 
Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 30K+ · 4.7★ (79)
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #11 6 too high 18 
Intuitive Custom Post Order 400K+ · 4.4★ (139)
wp.org #24 ↓2 6 too low 19 
Post Pay Counter 1K+ · 4.8★ (46)
wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20 
Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓5 2 too high 21 
Australia Post WooCommerce Extension 3K+ · 4.4★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #17 4 too high 22 Post Type Transfer 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↑2 8 too high 23 
Post Timeline 700+ · 4.2★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑2 1 too high 24 
Post List Designer – Category Post, Recent Post, Post List 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 5 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.