wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “show 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 “show post”, 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
Show IDs by Echo shows at wp.org #13 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 2K+ 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.
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 #4 2 too low 3 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #6 ↑12 3 too low 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
JSM Show Post Metadata 10K+ · 5.0★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #2 3 too high 6 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too low 7 
Schedule Post Changes With PublishPress Future: Unpublish, Delete, Change Status, Trash, Change Categories 100K+ · 4.5★ (172)
wp.org #7 ↓1 8 
Show Pages IDs 10K+ · 5.0★ (103)
wp.org #10 ↓1 2 too low 9 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #11 ↑5 2 too low 10 
Weaver Show Posts 5K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #3 7 too high 11 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #9 ↓1 2 too high 12 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210)
wp.org #15 ↓2 3 too low 13 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333)
wp.org #19 ↓9 6 too low 14 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #21 ↓1 7 too low 15 
Public Post Preview 100K+ · 4.6★ (79)
wp.org #16 ↓1 1 too low 16 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #20 ↑1 4 too low 17 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #17 ↓3 18 
Auto Featured Image (Auto Post Thumbnail) 40K+ · 3.8★ (119)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
Show modified Date in admin lists 6K+ · 4.9★ (32)
wp.org #22 3 too low 20 
Weaver Show Sliders 900+ · 4.5★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 8 too high 21 
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #14 7 too high 22 
JSM Show User Metadata 3K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↓1 4 too high 23 Show IDs by Echo 2K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 10 too high 24 
Themify Portfolio Post 30K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↑1 1 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.