Plugin Pulse Beta
← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “press release templates”

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 “press release templates”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 14 of the top 20. 4 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

API Press – External API data, Connect API, Import API shows at wp.org #7 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 17 places. Its 40+ 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

Simple Custom Post Order places #9 on merit, 4.8★ from 587 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Press This 5K+ · 3.7★ (25) wp.org #1 2 Simple:Press Forum 300+ · 4.2★ (24) wp.org #3 ↑1 1 too low 3 Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491) wp.org #11 ↑1 8 too low 4 SEOPress – AI SEO Plugin & On-site SEO 300K+ · 4.8★ (1267) wp.org #15 ↑8 11 too low 5 WDesignKit – AI Templates, Widget Builder & MCP Workflow 30K+ · 4.8★ (12) wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 Security Plugin, Firewall & Malware Scanner with Auto Removal 40K+ · 4.8★ (397) wp.org #18 ↑2 12 too low 7 Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #14 ↑1 7 too low 8 Gutenify – Visual Site Builder Blocks & Starter Templates 5K+ · 4.5★ (11) wp.org #6 ↑1 2 too high 9 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #23 14 too low 10 HubSpot All-In-One Marketing – Forms, Popups, Live Chat 200K+ · 4.3★ (207) wp.org #21 11 too low 11 Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117) wp.org #16 ↑1 5 too low 12 Press Release 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #2 10 too high 13 Nooz 500+ · 5.0★ (7) wp.org #10 ↑1 3 too high 14 Changeloger – Changelog, Release Notes, Roadmap & Feature Requests 200+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #8 ↑1 6 too high 15 Bricks Navigator 8K+ · 5.0★ (19) wp.org #20 ↑2 5 too low 16 UiPress lite | Effortless custom dashboards, admin themes and pages 6K+ · 4.1★ (21) wp.org #17 ↑1 1 too low 17 Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) wp.org #19 2 too low 18 Extendify 500K+ · 4.7★ (10) wp.org #12 ↑1 6 too high 19 Press Release Template 10+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #5 ↑1 14 too high 20 Blockenberg — 645 Advanced Gutenberg Blocks, 683 Templates and AI Agent for WordPress Block Editor 1K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #9 ↑1 11 too high 21 WP Wand – AI Content Writer for OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, OpenRouter and Deepseek 1K+ · 3.8★ (10) wp.org #22 ↑2 1 too low 22 BanglaPress – bKash, & Mobile Payment with Order Tracking & Invoice & Shipping Label Printing for WooCommerce 300+ · 4.0★ (4) wp.org #13 ↑1 9 too high 23 Gravatar Enhanced – Avatars, Profiles, and Privacy 100K+ · 5.0★ (3) wp.org #24 1 too low 24 API Press – External API data, Connect API, Import API 40+ · 5.0★ (1) wp.org #7 ↑1 17 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.