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← Rankings

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

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 showcase”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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

Service Showcase shows at wp.org #6 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 800+ 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

Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 210 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #1 ↑1 2 Rich Showcase for Google Reviews 100K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too low 3 Testimonial – Testimonial Slider and Showcase Plugin 20K+ · 4.6★ (67) wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 WP Popular Posts 100K+ · 4.5★ (249) wp.org #3 ↓2 1 too high 5 Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) wp.org #5 ↓1 6 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #8 ↑2 2 too low 7 Team Members – Multi Language Supported Team Plugin 6K+ · 5.0★ (85) wp.org #7 8 ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #15 7 too low 9 Team – Team Members Showcase Plugin 10K+ · 4.5★ (67) wp.org #9 ↑2 10 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #10 ↓2 11 Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) wp.org #22 ↓1 11 too low 12 Logo Showcase Ultimate – Logo Carousel, Logo Slider & Logo Grid 2K+ · 4.7★ (27) wp.org #13 1 too low 13 GS Books Showcase – Display Books in Grid, Slider & More | Library for WordPress 500+ · 4.8★ (42) wp.org #19 ↓1 6 too low 14 Team Members Showcase 4K+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #16 ↑1 2 too low 15 Logo Slider and Showcase 7K+ · 3.9★ (17) wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too high 16 Logo Showcase – Responsive Logo Carousel, Logo Slider & Logo Grid 5K+ · 4.6★ (10) wp.org #14 2 too high 17 Posts Table with Search & Sort 3K+ · 4.6★ (19) wp.org #21 4 too low 18 RS WP Book Showcase – A Complete Book Catalogue & Library System 1K+ · 3.9★ (25) wp.org #24 ↓1 6 too low 19 Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) wp.org #20 1 too low 20 Product Category Showcase for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #12 8 too high 21 Logo Showcase – Logo Slider, Carousel & Sponsors Gallery 900+ · 4.2★ (10) wp.org #18 ↑1 3 too high 22 Logo Showcase – Carousel, Slider, Grid & List for WordPress 400+ · 4.5★ (6) wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 Service Showcase 800+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #6 17 too high 24 Scheduled Posts Showcase 30+ · 4.0★ (1) wp.org #17 ↓1 7 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.