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

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 import”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 13 of the top 20. 3 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

Advanced Import shows at wp.org #5 but places #17 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 80K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 7 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 #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 1525 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966) wp.org #1 2

Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259) wp.org #2 ↑1 3

Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #6 ↓2 3 too low 4

One Click Demo Import 1M+ · 4.3★ (79) host-installed base wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too high 5

Customizer Export/Import 100K+ · 4.8★ (115) wp.org #7 2 too low 6

Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #8 2 too low 7

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #14 ↓1 7 too low 8

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525) wp.org #17 ↑3 9 too low 9

WP Import Export Lite 40K+ · 4.0★ (113) wp.org #9 ↑1 10

WP All Import – Product Import for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.7★ (276) wp.org #15 5 too low 11

Order Export & Order Import for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.7★ (337) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↑2 1 too high 12

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #24 11 too low 14

WP All Import – Import Add-On for ACF 50K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #4 ↑1 10 too high 15

WP RSS Aggregator – RSS Import, Feed to Post, Autoblogging, AI Content 40K+ · 4.5★ (565) wp.org #20 ↓3 5 too low 16

Product Import Export for WooCommerce – CSV Product Importer & Exporter 80K+ · 4.6★ (413) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #12 ↓3 4 too high 17

Advanced Import 80K+ · 4.4★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #5 ↑1 12 too high 18

Import Users from CSV 10K+ · 4.1★ (44) wp.org #13 ↑1 5 too high 19

Comments Import & Export 2K+ · 4.9★ (68) wp.org #22 3 too low 20

Post Export Import with Media 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews wp.org #21 1 too low 21

WP All Import – Import SEO Settings for Rank Math SEO 6K+ · 4.5★ (4) thin reviews wp.org #11 10 too high 22

WP All Import – Import SEO Settings for Yoast SEO 20K+ · 2.8★ (11) thin reviews wp.org #18 4 too high 23

WP All Import – Import SEO Settings for All In One SEO 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #23 24

Ansar Import – One Click Starter Sites – for WordPress Themes 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #19 5 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.