wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “simple post widget”
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 “simple post widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 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
Widgets for Social Photo Feed shows at wp.org #12 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 28 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1516 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #1 2 
Simple CAPTCHA with Cloudflare Turnstile 200K+ · 4.7★ (262)
wp.org #2 3 
Simple Membership 40K+ · 4.6★ (475)
wp.org #3 4 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #4 5 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132)
wp.org #5 6 
Simple History – Track, Log, and Audit WordPress Changes 300K+ · 4.9★ (491)
wp.org #6 7 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #7 8 
Simple Share Buttons Adder 40K+ · 4.3★ (627)
wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9 S Simple Lightbox 100K+ · 4.3★ (239)
wp.org #9 10 
Simple Author Box 90K+ · 4.3★ (115)
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159)
wp.org #11 ↑1 12 Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516)
wp.org #19 ↓1 7 too low 13 
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #20 ↓1 7 too low 14 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 
Seriously Simple Podcasting 20K+ · 4.7★ (330)
wp.org #16 ↓6 1 too low 16 
Simple Download Monitor 20K+ · 4.7★ (158)
wp.org #14 ↑1 2 too high 17 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #13 4 too high 18 
SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #18 19 Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28)
wp.org #12 ↑4 7 too high 20 
Simple Social Icons 100K+ · 4.3★ (92)
wp.org #17 3 too high 21 
Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191)
wp.org #24 ↓1 3 too low 22 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 
Simple Sitemap – Responsive HTML Sitemap for WordPress 60K+ · 3.9★ (72)
wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 
Simple Google Calendar Outlook Events Widget 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓1 3 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.