wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “widget 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 “widget post”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 of the top 20. 4 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
Widget Context shows at wp.org #12 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 4 places. Its 30K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 98 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1516 reviews, but shows at wp.org #19. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #1 2 
Essential Addons for Elementor – Popular Elementor Templates & Widgets 1M+ · 4.9★ (4132) not PHP-current
wp.org #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 ↓2 4 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051)
wp.org #5 6 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #6 ↓2 7 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #9 2 too low 8 
Premium Addons for Elementor – AI-Ready Elementor Addons, Widgets & Templates 600K+ · 4.9★ (1680)
wp.org #10 ↓2 2 too low 9 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too high 10 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #8 ↓1 2 too high 11 
Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) 10K+ · 4.9★ (80)
wp.org #11 ↓2 12 Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516)
wp.org #19 ↓3 7 too low 13 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #17 ↓4 4 too low 14 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #13 ↓2 1 too high 15 
Rate My Post – Star Rating Plugin by FeedbackWP 20K+ · 4.7★ (159) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↑3 1 too high 16 Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓2 4 too high 17 
Widgets for Social Photo Feed 10K+ · 4.7★ (28)
wp.org #15 2 too high 18 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210) heavy footprint
wp.org #24 ↓3 6 too low 19 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #18 ↓4 1 too high 20 
Better Post & Filter Widgets for Elementor 4K+ · 5.0★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓4 4 too high 21 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓3 1 too low 22 
GR Widget – Google Reviews Widget 900+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓3 1 too low 23 
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #21 2 too high 24 
Widget Post Slider 1K+ · 4.3★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓2 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.