wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post specific”
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 specific”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts shows at wp.org #10 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 27820 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 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #2 3 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1238)
wp.org #5 ↑3 2 too low 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
Post/Page Specific Custom Code 6K+ · 4.6★ (42)
wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #12 ↑11 5 too low 8 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too high 10 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820)
wp.org #16 ↑6 6 too low 11 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210)
wp.org #11 12 
Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #18 ↓8 6 too low 13 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #17 ↓2 4 too low 14 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #19 ↑2 5 too low 15 
Specific Content For Mobile – Customize the mobile version without redirections 4K+ · 4.8★ (31)
wp.org #9 6 too high 16 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #14 2 too high 17 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #13 ↓1 4 too high 18 
WP Popular Posts 100K+ · 4.5★ (249)
wp.org #22 ↓5 4 too low 19 
Auto Featured Image (Auto Post Thumbnail) 40K+ · 3.8★ (119)
wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too high 20 A ACF Post-2-Post 3K+ · 5.0★ (39)
wp.org #23 ↑1 3 too low 21 
Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26)
wp.org #20 ↓2 1 too high 22 Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #10 12 too high 23 
Hide Page And Post Title 40K+ · 3.6★ (54)
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓2 3 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.