wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post view”
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 view”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Wp Post Views – WordPress Post views counter shows at wp.org #5 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 13 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ 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 1525 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.
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1236)
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 #4 ↓1 1 too low 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 
Post View Count 4K+ · 4.6★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #3 ↑1 3 too high 7 
CMS Tree Page View – Reorder Pages with a Drag-and-Drop Tree 50K+ · 4.9★ (365)
wp.org #10 ↓3 3 too low 8 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #21 13 too low 9 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #15 6 too low 10 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #11 1 too low 11 
WebberZone Top 10 — Popular Posts 10K+ · 4.6★ (102)
wp.org #13 ↑3 2 too low 12 
View Transitions 10K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑1 3 too high 13 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #12 ↑1 1 too high 14 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #16 ↓4 2 too low 15 
Post Views for Jetpack 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑1 8 too high 16 
Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48)
wp.org #14 2 too high 17 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 Wp Post Views – WordPress Post views counter 4K+ · 4.4★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑1 13 too high 19 
Public Post Preview 100K+ · 4.6★ (79)
wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 
Page View Count 10K+ · 4.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too high 23 
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #17 6 too high 24 
Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓4 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.