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

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 sort”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20. 2 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

Default Sort Ascend shows at wp.org #15 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Post Views Counter places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 1236 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #1 2

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525) wp.org #6 ↑10 3 too low 4

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5

WP Sort Order 6K+ · 4.5★ (17) thin reviews wp.org #2 ↑1 3 too high 6

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8

Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1236) wp.org #13 5 too low 9

Posts Table with Search & Sort 3K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #4 ↑1 5 too high 10

Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153) wp.org #12 ↓2 2 too low 11

Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79) wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too high 13

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #18 ↓3 5 too low 14

Relevanssi – A Better Search 100K+ · 4.8★ (406) wp.org #23 ↓5 8 too low 16

Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #19 3 too low 17

Bulk Edit Posts and Products in Spreadsheet 7K+ · 4.8★ (217) wp.org #22 ↑1 5 too low 18

Reorder Posts – Quick Post Type and Page Ordering 10K+ · 3.9★ (28) wp.org #16 ↓2 2 too high 19

Product Sort and Display for WooCommerce 2K+ · 3.1★ (45) wp.org #14 ↓2 5 too high 20

Same Category Posts 3K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews wp.org #17 3 too high 21

Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #20 1 too high 22 D Default Sort Ascend 400+ · 4.9★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #15 ↓2 7 too high 23 T The Taxonomy Sort 60+ · 4.1★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #24 1 too low 24

WP Sitemap Pages and Posts 1K+ · 5.0★ (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.