wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “social 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 “social posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Jetpack Social shows at wp.org #8 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 30K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 3.3★ average from 74 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Wp Social Login and Register Social Counter 70K+ · 4.6★ (67)
wp.org #1 ↑2 2 
Smash Balloon Social Photo Feed – Easy Social Feeds Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4358)
wp.org #2 3 
Social Media Share Buttons & Social Sharing Icons 100K+ · 4.8★ (5333)
wp.org #3 ↓2 4 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #5 ↑9 1 too low 5 
Scriptless Social Sharing 10K+ · 5.0★ (70)
wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too low 6 
Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28)
wp.org #4 ↑4 2 too high 7 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #7 ↓1 8 
Spotlight Social Photo Feed 50K+ · 4.7★ (171)
wp.org #9 ↓4 1 too low 9 
Social Share Icons & Social Share Buttons 10K+ · 4.9★ (1911) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 ↓1 1 too low 10 
Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (1511)
wp.org #17 ↓1 7 too low 11 
SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201)
wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too low 12 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #20 8 too low 13 
WP Social Ninja – Embed Social Feeds, User Reviews & Chat Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #11 ↑7 2 too high 14 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #14 ↓2 15 
Feed Them Social – Social Media Feeds, Video, and Photo Galleries 20K+ · 4.7★ (639)
wp.org #23 ↓1 8 too low 16 Jetpack Social 30K+ · 3.3★ (74)
wp.org #8 ↓1 8 too high 17 
Simple Social Media Share Buttons – Social Sharing for Everyone 20K+ · 4.8★ (194) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓2 4 too high 18 
Simple Social Icons 100K+ · 4.3★ (92)
wp.org #15 ↓2 3 too high 19 
Social Feed Gallery 80K+ · 4.5★ (303)
wp.org #21 2 too low 20 
Hubbub Lite – Fast, free social sharing and follow buttons 30K+ · 4.7★ (173)
wp.org #24 ↓1 4 too low 21 
Bit Social – Social Media Auto Poster and Scheduler 6K+ · 4.5★ (36)
wp.org #18 ↓1 3 too high 22 
Inavii Social Feed – Live Social Proof Gallery 9K+ · 5.0★ (17) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 23 
Ocean Social Sharing 60K+ · 4.5★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too high 24 
Social Post Flow – Social Media Automation, Scheduling, Scheduler, Posting & Auto Post 200+ · 4.2★ (10) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #19 5 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.