wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “previous post”
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 “previous post”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
WP Post Page Clone shows at wp.org #10 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 70K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Classic Editor places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1251 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. 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 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #2 3 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #3 4 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1236)
wp.org #4 5 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #7 ↑9 2 too low 6 
Post Type Switcher 200K+ · 4.8★ (255)
wp.org #6 7 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #8 ↓1 9 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #9 10 
AnWP Post Grid and Post Carousel Slider for Elementor 20K+ · 4.9★ (84)
wp.org #13 3 too low 11 
W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94)
wp.org #14 ↓2 3 too low 12 Classic Editor 8M+ · 4.9★ (1251)
wp.org #21 ↓6 9 too low 13 
GenerateBlocks 200K+ · 4.9★ (122)
wp.org #17 ↑3 4 too low 14 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #20 ↓9 6 too low 15 
Floating Social Share Icons and Social Share buttons – Next Previous Post Links – FL 200+ · 4.7★ (73) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↑11 4 too high 16 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current
wp.org #19 2 too low 18 
bbPress 100K+ · 3.9★ (343)
wp.org #24 ↓1 6 too low 19 
Hide Page And Post Title 40K+ · 3.6★ (54)
wp.org #15 ↓2 4 too high 20 WP Post Page Clone 70K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓2 10 too high 21 
Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓2 9 too high 22 
Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 6 too high 23 
WP Hide Post — Hide Posts, Pages, Custom Post Types, and Control Products Visibility for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 
Auto Update Post Date 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 6 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.