wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “tag based 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 “tag based 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

Hide Posts shows at wp.org #16 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 5 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 22 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin signals wp.org

GTM4WP – A Google Tag Manager (GTM) plugin for WordPress 700K+ · 4.5★ (155) wp.org #1 2

Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1668) wp.org #3 ↑5 4

Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519) wp.org #4 ↓1 5

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #6 ↓1 7

Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962) wp.org #10 3 too low 8

List category posts 80K+ · 4.7★ (254) wp.org #8 ↓1 9

Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510) not PHP-current wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too high 10

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #12 ↑5 2 too low 11

PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281) wp.org #9 2 too high 12

Weight Based Shipping Table Rate for WooCommerce – Flexible Shipping 100K+ · 4.9★ (706) wp.org #15 ↓1 3 too low 13

Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399) wp.org #17 ↓2 4 too low 14

Category Posts Block 40K+ · 4.5★ (79) wp.org #11 3 too high 15

Social Preview and Open Graph Tags 50K+ · 4.6★ (122) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too high 16

The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #18 2 too low 17

Blog Filter – Post Grid Filter by Category or Tag 7K+ · 4.9★ (81) wp.org #22 3 too low 20

Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58) wp.org #24 4 too low 21

Hide Posts 20K+ · 4.7★ (22) thin reviews wp.org #16 5 too high 22

Flex Posts – Responsive Posts Block 2K+ · 5.0★ (24) thin reviews wp.org #19 3 too high 23

Posts Table with Search & Sort 3K+ · 4.6★ (19) thin reviews wp.org #23 24

Magical Posts Display – Elementor Advanced Posts widgets 3K+ · 4.4★ (10) thin reviews wp.org #20 4 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.