wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “test 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 “test post”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Split Test For Elementor shows at wp.org #8 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 24 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy places #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 4625 reviews, but shows at wp.org #14. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #1 2 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1238)
wp.org #4 ↑6 1 too low 4 
Yoast Test Helper 50K+ · 4.9★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #2 2 too high 5 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
Post Type Switcher 200K+ · 4.8★ (255)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #14 5 too low 10 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too high 11 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #16 ↑5 5 too low 12 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #12 ↑6 13 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #17 ↓1 4 too low 14 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7520)
wp.org #23 ↓6 9 too low 15 
Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders 8K+ · 5.0★ (26)
wp.org #10 ↑1 5 too high 16 Split Test For Elementor 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #8 ↓1 8 too high 17 
Archive Content with Archived Post Status 5K+ · 4.9★ (36)
wp.org #13 4 too high 18 
Nelio A/B Testing – AB Tests and Heatmaps for Better Conversion Optimization 4K+ · 4.8★ (99)
wp.org #18 ↑1 19 
W4 Post List 3K+ · 4.7★ (94)
wp.org #21 ↓8 2 too low 20 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #15 5 too high 21 
Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓10 1 too low 22 
Australia Post WooCommerce Extension 3K+ · 4.4★ (19) thin reviews
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
Social Post Flow – Social Media Automation, Scheduling, Scheduler, Posting & Auto Post 200+ · 4.2★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 
Wp Post Views – WordPress Post views counter 4K+ · 4.4★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #24 ↓2 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.