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

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 visitors”, 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

Hide Posts shows at wp.org #13 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 22 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy places #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 4625 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #1 2

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #4 ↑1 5

Visitor Traffic Real Time Statistics 30K+ · 4.1★ (233) wp.org #5 ↓1 6

User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913) wp.org #11 ↓1 5 too low 7

Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #6 ↑9 1 too high 8

Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012) wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too high 9

TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625) wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too low 10

SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201) wp.org #10 ↓1 11

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #14 ↓3 3 too low 12

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #9 ↓1 3 too high 13

Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237) wp.org #16 ↑2 3 too low 14

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint wp.org #12 3 too high 16

The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265) wp.org #24 8 too low 17

WebberZone Top 10 — Popular Posts 10K+ · 4.6★ (102) wp.org #19 2 too low 18

Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #23 ↓2 5 too low 19

Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #20 1 too low 20

Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #13 7 too high 21

Missed Scheduled Posts Publisher by WPBeginner 20K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #21 ↓4 22

Posts Table with Search & Sort 3K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #18 ↑5 4 too high 23

Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too high 24

Republish Old Posts 2K+ · 4.3★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #22 2 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.