wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “posts blog”

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 blog”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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

Blog Floating Button shows at wp.org #9 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 8K+ 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 #7 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 30K+ · 4.7★ (79) wp.org #1 2

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #4 1 too low 4

Blog Filter – Post Grid Filter by Category or Tag 7K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #3 1 too high 5

WP Blog Post Layouts 9K+ · 4.7★ (83) wp.org #5 1 too high 7

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526) wp.org #12 5 too low 8

SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201) wp.org #10 2 too low 9

Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #8 1 too high 10

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #15 5 too low 11

Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153) wp.org #13 2 too low 12

List category posts 70K+ · 4.7★ (254) wp.org #16 4 too low 13

User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913) wp.org #24 11 too low 14

Simple Blog Stats 4K+ · 4.9★ (38) wp.org #11 3 too high 15

Disable Blog 20K+ · 4.7★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #7 8 too high 16

Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) wp.org #22 4 too low 19

Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79) wp.org #17 2 too high 20

Print My Blog – Print, PDF, & eBook Converter WordPress Plugin 8K+ · 4.8★ (115) wp.org #19 1 too high 21

Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #18 3 too high 22

Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #23 1 too low 23

Blog Floating Button 8K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #9 14 too high 24

Latest Posts Block – Dynamic Posts Grid, Posts List, Posts Tile with Stunning Layouts for WordPress Blogs & Pages 6K+ · 4.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #21 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.