wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “post widgets”
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 widgets”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 2 plugins are 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
Custom Post Type Widgets shows at wp.org #10 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 14 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #1 2 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↑3 1 too low 3 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #5 ↓4 2 too low 4 
SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too low 6 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #7 ↓4 1 too low 7 
Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #2 5 too high 8 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #11 ↑11 3 too low 9 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too high 10 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #13 ↓2 3 too low 11 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too high 12 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #14 2 too low 13 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #18 ↓1 5 too low 14 
Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) 10K+ · 4.9★ (80)
wp.org #16 2 too low 15 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #15 ↓5 16 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too high 17 
WP Popular Posts 100K+ · 4.5★ (249)
wp.org #20 ↓8 3 too low 18 
Widget Content Blocks 10K+ · 4.8★ (60)
wp.org #17 ↓2 1 too high 19 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓2 9 too high 20 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #24 ↓3 4 too low 21 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #22 ↓2 1 too low 22 
Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑4 3 too high 23 
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #23 24 
Essential Widgets 10K+ · 3.5★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓3 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.