wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “tab 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 “tab post”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 3 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
Floating Side Tab shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 600+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 2 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Duplicate Post places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 1623 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Yoast Duplicate Post 3M+ · 4.7★ (538) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #2 ↑2 3 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #5 ↑3 1 too low 5 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #4 ↓1 1 too high 6 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #6 7 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #8 ↑1 1 too low 8 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #16 ↓1 7 too low 10 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #11 1 too low 11 
Custom Product Tabs for WooCommerce & WordPress Tabs Builder – Smart Tabs 10K+ · 4.9★ (134)
wp.org #13 ↓8 2 too low 12 
Public Post Preview 100K+ · 4.6★ (79)
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
AnWP Post Grid and Post Carousel Slider for Elementor 20K+ · 4.9★ (84)
wp.org #19 ↑1 6 too low 14 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too low 15 
W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94)
wp.org #22 7 too low 16 
WP Blog Post Layouts 9K+ · 4.7★ (83)
wp.org #24 ↓1 8 too low 17 
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #9 8 too high 18 
Gutena Tabs 6K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #12 6 too high 19 
Custom Product tabs for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.9★ (48) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 ↓6 4 too low 20 
MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #21 1 too low 21 
Advanced Post Block – Display Your Posts Exactly How You Want 10K+ · 4.2★ (17) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #18 3 too high 22 
Post Type Transfer 2K+ · 5.0★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
Post Grid & Post Slider – Carousel, Filter Tabs & Related Posts 1K+ · 4.3★ (8) not PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 6 too high 24 Floating Side Tab 600+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #14 ↓1 10 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.