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

Scheduled Posts Showcase shows at wp.org #7 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 15 places. Its 30+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 1511 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 signals wp.org

MWW Scheduled Post Trigger 60K+ · 4.4★ (27) wp.org #1 ↑1 2

Missed Scheduled Posts Publisher by WPBeginner 20K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #2 ↓1 3

SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201) wp.org #3 4

Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153) wp.org #6 1 too low 6

Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79) wp.org #5 1 too high 7

Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #10 3 too low 8

Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172) wp.org #9 ↓2 1 too low 9

UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8706) wp.org #16 ↓1 6 too low 11

Bulk Edit Posts and Products in Spreadsheet 7K+ · 4.8★ (217) wp.org #14 ↓1 3 too low 12

Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (1511) wp.org #23 ↓3 11 too low 13

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #19 ↑2 6 too low 14

Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408) wp.org #17 3 too low 15

Revive Social – Social Media Auto Post and Scheduling Automation Plugin 20K+ · 4.0★ (556) wp.org #21 ↓2 6 too low 16

Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint wp.org #22 ↓5 6 too low 17

Post to Google My Business (Google Business Profile) 10K+ · 4.9★ (159) not PHP-current wp.org #18 1 too low 18

Noptin – Newsletter, New Post Notifications & Email Automation 10K+ · 4.5★ (120) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #13 5 too high 19

PublishPress Revisions: Duplicate Posts, Submit, Approve and Schedule Content Changes 10K+ · 4.6★ (66) wp.org #20 1 too low 20

Missed Schedule Post Publisher 6K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews wp.org #8 12 too high 21

Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews wp.org #15 6 too high 22

Scheduled Posts Showcase 30+ · 4.0★ (1) thin reviews wp.org #7 ↑2 15 too high 23

Auto Update Post Date 2K+ · 5.0★ (2) not PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #24 1 too low 24

Scheduled Posts Issue Fixer 100+ · 0.0★ (0) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #12 12 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.