wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “posts sorting”
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 sorting”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Weaver Show Posts shows at wp.org #12 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ 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 1237 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #1 2 
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
WP Popular Posts 100K+ · 4.5★ (249)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #4 5 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #5 6 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526)
wp.org #8 ↑3 2 too low 7 
Related Posts Thumbnails 20K+ · 4.9★ (234)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #14 ↑10 6 too low 9 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510)
wp.org #11 ↓5 2 too low 10 
Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158)
wp.org #15 ↓1 5 too low 11 
Bulk Edit Posts and Products in Spreadsheet 7K+ · 4.8★ (217)
wp.org #16 ↓1 5 too low 12 
YMC Filter 4K+ · 4.8★ (34)
wp.org #10 ↓2 2 too high 13 
Reorder Posts – Quick Post Type and Page Ordering 10K+ · 3.9★ (28)
wp.org #7 ↑2 6 too high 14 
Posts Table with Search & Sort 3K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑4 5 too high 15 
Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154)
wp.org #22 ↓2 7 too low 16 
Blog Designer Pack – Blog, Post Grid, Post Slider, Post Carousel, Category Post, News 30K+ · 4.7★ (79)
wp.org #21 ↑1 5 too low 17 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #17 ↓1 18 
Category Posts in Custom Menu 2K+ · 4.8★ (43)
wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too low 19 
Real Custom Post Order: Create a custom order for your content 8K+ · 4.8★ (42)
wp.org #19 20 
Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26)
wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 Weaver Show Posts 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓2 9 too high 22 
Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 9 too high 23 
TableOn – WordPress Posts Table Filterable 200+ · 4.6★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓1 1 too low 24 
Endless Posts Navigation 100+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓5 1 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.