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

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 by author”, 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

VK Post Author Display shows at wp.org #8 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 8 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 #11 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 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.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520) wp.org #1 2

Co-Authors, Multiple Authors and Guest Authors in an Author Box with PublishPress Authors 20K+ · 4.9★ (114) wp.org #2 3

Simple Author Box 90K+ · 4.3★ (115) wp.org #3 4

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #5 1 too low 5

Molongui Authorship – Author Boxes, Guest Authors & Co-Authors for WordPress 10K+ · 4.7★ (158) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

WP Post Author – Author Box, Multiple Authors, Guest Authors & Custom Avatars 10K+ · 4.2★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #4 2 too high 7 P Posts 2 Posts 9K+ · 4.8★ (101) wp.org #9 2 too low 8

Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #10 ↑5 1 too low 10

Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1238) wp.org #19 9 too low 11

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526) wp.org #21 ↑1 10 too low 12

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #17 5 too low 13

List category posts 70K+ · 4.7★ (254) wp.org #15 ↓1 2 too low 14

SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201) wp.org #18 4 too low 15

Author Avatars List/Block 4K+ · 4.8★ (32) wp.org #11 ↓1 6 too high 18

Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153) wp.org #23 4 too low 20

Guest Author 5K+ · 4.2★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #7 13 too high 21

Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79) wp.org #20 1 too high 22

VK Post Author Display 10K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #8 14 too high 23

Author Box WP Lens 900+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24

Default Post Author 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓1 10 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.