wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “posts addon”
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 “posts addon”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Custom Post Type UI shows at wp.org #10 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 1M+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 276 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 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.
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #1 2 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #2 3 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #3 4 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #4 5 
Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528)
wp.org #5 ↑1 6 
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (108)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
Addon Elements for Elementor (formerly Elementor Addon Elements) 80K+ · 4.8★ (172)
wp.org #7 8 
PPOM – Product Addons & Custom Fields for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.5★ (283)
wp.org #9 ↑7 1 too low 9 
Post Grid Addon for Elementor 10K+ · 4.9★ (76)
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #16 ↓2 6 too low 11 
LocoAI – Auto Translate for Loco Translate 70K+ · 4.9★ (642)
wp.org #15 4 too low 12 
Qi Addons For Elementor 200K+ · 4.8★ (205)
wp.org #12 ↓1 13 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #13 ↓1 14 
Image Hover Effects – Elementor Addon 40K+ · 4.9★ (83)
wp.org #11 ↓1 3 too high 15 Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #10 5 too high 16 
Newsletter – Send awesome emails from WordPress 200K+ · 4.6★ (1205)
wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too low 17 
SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201)
wp.org #17 ↓2 18 
GutenKit – Page Builder Blocks, Patterns, and Templates for Gutenberg Block Editor 80K+ · 4.5★ (48)
wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too high 19 
Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284)
wp.org #24 ↓4 5 too low 20 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #22 ↓4 2 too low 21 
Exclusive Addons for Elementor 50K+ · 4.7★ (47)
wp.org #21 ↓4 22 
Unlist Posts & Pages 10K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓3 4 too high 23 
Extensive VC Addons for WPBakery Page Builder 4K+ · 4.7★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 
Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓4 1 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.