wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “restrict 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 “restrict posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 17 of the top 20. 5 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
Page Restrict for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #8 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 700+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 23 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 #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1525)
wp.org #7 ↑5 5 too low 3 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #6 3 too low 4 
User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913)
wp.org #9 ↓1 5 too low 5 
Restrict User Access – Ultimate Membership & Content Protection 10K+ · 4.3★ (94) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6 
Restrict for Elementor 900+ · 4.0★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #2 ↓1 4 too high 7 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #14 ↑7 7 too low 8 Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #17 9 too low 9 
Membership Plugin – Kadence Memberships 8K+ · 3.1★ (100) throws errorsnot PHP-current low rating, top placement
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 too high 10 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #19 ↓3 9 too low 11 
Paid Membership Subscriptions – Effortless Memberships, Recurring Payments & Content Restriction 10K+ · 4.7★ (270)
wp.org #16 ↑2 5 too low 12 
Content Control – The Ultimate Content Restriction Solution! Restrict Content, Create Conditional Blocks & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (575)
wp.org #20 ↓6 8 too low 13 
Simple Restrict 1K+ · 4.9★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #5 8 too high 14 
User Profile Builder – Beautiful User Registration Forms, User Profiles & User Role Editor 40K+ · 4.7★ (738)
wp.org #23 9 too low 15 
Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↓1 5 too high 16 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #18 ↓8 2 too low 17 
Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187)
wp.org #21 ↓1 4 too low 18 
Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
Posts Table with Search & Sort 3K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #11 ↑6 8 too high 20 Page Restrict for WooCommerce 700+ · 4.7★ (23) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 12 too high 21 
kk Star Ratings – Rate Post & Collect User Feedbacks 70K+ · 3.9★ (171)
wp.org #22 ↑2 1 too low 22 
User Posts Limit 3K+ · 5.0★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 10 too high 23 
Restrict – membership, site, content and user access restrictions for WordPress 2K+ · 4.2★ (25)
wp.org #13 10 too high 24 
Custom Related Posts 3K+ · 4.9★ (46) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 9 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.