wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “test 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 “test posts”, we and wp.org disagree on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Split Test For Elementor shows at wp.org #4 but places #10 on merit, a gap of 6 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
Post Views Counter places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 1237 reviews, but shows at wp.org #10. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #2 ↓1 1 too low 2 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Yoast Test Helper 50K+ · 4.9★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 too high 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
User Submitted Posts – Enable Users to Submit Posts from the Front End 10K+ · 4.8★ (913)
wp.org #8 3 too low 6 Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #10 ↑9 4 too low 7 
Delete Duplicate Posts 10K+ · 4.8★ (153)
wp.org #7 8 
Inline Related Posts 100K+ · 4.3★ (77)
wp.org #5 3 too high 9 
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too low 10 Split Test For Elementor 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #4 6 too high 11 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #9 ↑5 2 too high 12 
W3 Total Cache 900K+ · 4.4★ (5420)
wp.org #14 ↑3 2 too low 13 
Rank Math SEO – AI SEO Tools to Dominate SEO Rankings 4M+ · 4.8★ (7519)
wp.org #18 ↓6 5 too low 14 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #11 ↓2 3 too high 15 
WP Mail SMTP by WPForms – SMTP for Reliable Email Delivery with Gmail, Outlook, Amazon SES, Brevo, Other SMTP & More 4M+ · 4.8★ (5209)
wp.org #19 ↓1 4 too low 16 
Quiz Maker by AYS 20K+ · 4.9★ (601)
wp.org #20 4 too low 17 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #17 ↓6 18 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #21 3 too low 19 
Nelio A/B Testing – AB Tests and Heatmaps for Better Conversion Optimization 4K+ · 4.8★ (99)
wp.org #13 6 too high 20 
Missed Scheduled Posts Publisher by WPBeginner 20K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #15 5 too high 21 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 
Post Type Switcher 200K+ · 4.8★ (255)
wp.org #22 ↓2 23 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #23 ↓1 24 
Category Posts in Custom Menu 2K+ · 4.8★ (43)
wp.org #24 ↓1 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.