wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post time”
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 time”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts shows at wp.org #13 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 9 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
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 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.
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #1 2 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #2 3 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #3 4 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #5 ↑5 1 too low 5 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #19 ↑3 11 too low 9 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 
Reading Time WP 20K+ · 4.8★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↓1 3 too high 11 
WP Date and Time Shortcode 10K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too high 12 
Real-Time Find and Replace 70K+ · 4.5★ (82)
wp.org #12 13 
Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #24 ↓7 11 too low 14 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 4 too high 16 
Public Post Preview 100K+ · 4.6★ (79)
wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 
Visitor Traffic Real Time Statistics 30K+ · 4.1★ (233)
wp.org #18 1 too low 18 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too low 19 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #23 ↑1 4 too low 20 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #21 ↓1 1 too low 21 
Auto Featured Image (Auto Post Thumbnail) 40K+ · 3.8★ (119) not PHP-current
wp.org #22 1 too low 22 Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #13 9 too high 23 
Real-Time Post Statistics for WordPress 1K+ · 4.8★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too high 24 O One Time Login 40K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 7 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.