wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “posts grid”
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 grid”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 of the top 20. 4 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
Flexi Post Grid shows at wp.org #16 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 200+ 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.
Modula Image Gallery – Photo Grid & Video Gallery 100K+ · 4.7★ (616)
wp.org #1 2 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #2 3 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #3 4 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #4 5 
AnWP Post Grid and Post Carousel Slider for Elementor 20K+ · 4.9★ (84)
wp.org #5 6 
Post Grid Addon for Elementor 10K+ · 4.9★ (76)
wp.org #6 ↓1 7 
Royal Addons for Elementor – Addons and Templates Kit for Elementor 600K+ · 4.8★ (612)
wp.org #9 ↓2 2 too low 8 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too high 10 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #11 1 too low 11 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #13 ↓5 2 too low 12 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #12 ↑7 13 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
Contextual Related Posts 50K+ · 4.8★ (201)
wp.org #17 3 too low 15 
Blog Filter – Post Grid Filter by Category or Tag 7K+ · 4.9★ (81)
wp.org #18 3 too low 16 
Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 30K+ · 4.7★ (79)
wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too low 17 
WP Ultimate Post Grid 4K+ · 4.4★ (32) heavy footprint
wp.org #10 7 too high 18 
Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79)
wp.org #23 5 too low 19 
Image Photo Gallery Final Tiles Grid 20K+ · 4.7★ (353) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #24 ↓11 5 too low 20 
Product Category Slider & Grid for WooCommerce – Reno Product Category 9K+ · 4.8★ (91) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓10 2 too low 21 
Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↑2 1 too high 22 
GS Posts Grid – Recent Posts, Category Posts, Post Filter, Slider & List 100+ · 4.2★ (5) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #15 7 too high 23 
Fancy Post Grid – Ultimate Post Grid Builder 300+ · 5.0★ (2) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 2 too high 24 Flexi Post Grid 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #16 8 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.