wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “specific 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 “specific posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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

Specific Content For Mobile – Customize the mobile version without redirections shows at wp.org #7 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 31 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager places #8 on merit, 5.0★ from 1526 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623) wp.org #1 2

Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27820) wp.org #5 2 too low 4

Post/Page Specific Custom Code 6K+ · 4.6★ (42) wp.org #2 2 too high 5

Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296) wp.org #4 1 too high 6

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #8 1 too low 8

Folders – Unlimited Folders to Organize Media Library Folder, Pages, Posts, File Manager 90K+ · 5.0★ (1526) wp.org #12 4 too low 9

Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153) wp.org #9 10

SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201) wp.org #11 1 too low 11

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #15 4 too low 12

User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913) wp.org #17 4 too low 14

Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1238) wp.org #18 4 too low 15

Specific Content For Mobile – Customize the mobile version without redirections 4K+ · 4.8★ (31) wp.org #7 8 too high 16

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #16 17

Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98) wp.org #22 2 too low 21

Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #21 22

Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #14 8 too high 23

Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #19 4 too high 24

Mark Posts 1K+ · 4.8★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #23 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.