wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “private posts”
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 “private posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
Private Website – Login Required shows at wp.org #9 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 300+ 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
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1281 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.
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
My Private Site – Make Your Whole Site Private, Force Login & Block Registration Spam 10K+ · 4.5★ (82)
wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 
Better Messages – Chat Rooms, Group Chat, Private Messages & AI Chat Bots 10K+ · 4.8★ (142)
wp.org #5 ↓1 1 too low 5 
Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79)
wp.org #4 ↑1 1 too high 6 
Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153)
wp.org #6 7 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1238)
wp.org #13 6 too low 8 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too low 9 
Related Posts for WordPress 10K+ · 4.6★ (325)
wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #17 ↑3 7 too low 11 
Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #21 ↓2 9 too low 13 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #16 ↓3 3 too low 14 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #14 ↑1 15 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210)
wp.org #23 ↓2 8 too low 16 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #22 ↑1 6 too low 17 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #24 7 too low 18 
WebberZone Top 10 — Popular Posts 10K+ · 4.6★ (102)
wp.org #20 2 too low 19 
Posts Table with Search & Sort 3K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑4 7 too high 20 
CCI Posts Carousel All In One 2K+ · 4.6★ (27)
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
Intranet & Private Site – All-In-One Intranet 3K+ · 5.0★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 6 too high 22 
Customize Private & Protected: Password Form & Prefix 400+ · 4.7★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #8 14 too high 23 B BP Simple Private 400+ · 3.9★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓2 4 too high 24 Private Website – Login Required 300+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #9 ↑1 15 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.