wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post views”
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 views”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites shows at wp.org #8 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 16 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 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 #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. 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 #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too low 4 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #7 2 too low 6 
Wp Post Views – WordPress Post views counter 4K+ · 4.4★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #2 ↑1 4 too high 7 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #11 4 too low 8 
Post Views for Jetpack 1K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #5 ↑1 3 too high 9 Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #20 11 too low 10 
WebberZone Top 10 — Popular Posts 10K+ · 4.6★ (102)
wp.org #12 ↑4 2 too low 11 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too low 12 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #19 5 too low 15 
Post View Count 4K+ · 4.6★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #9 6 too high 16 
Advanced Views – Display Framework – Gutenberg/Elementor/Shortcode 2K+ · 4.8★ (36)
wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 
Public Post Preview 100K+ · 4.6★ (79)
wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too low 18 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #23 ↓1 4 too low 20 
Page View Count 10K+ · 4.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 10 too high 21 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #17 5 too high 23 
Post views Stats 900+ · 3.5★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too high 24 Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #8 16 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.