wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wordpress post layout”
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 “wordpress post layout”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 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
Post Layouts shows at wp.org #16 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 900+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 4 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157)
wp.org #1 2 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too low 5 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #4 ↑7 1 too high 6 
Hustle – Email Marketing, Lead Generation, Optins, Popups 80K+ · 4.4★ (859)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too high 8 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #10 ↓2 2 too low 9 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #9 ↑1 10 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1238)
wp.org #12 ↑6 2 too low 11 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #11 ↓2 12 
WP Popular Posts 100K+ · 4.5★ (249)
wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too high 13 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #14 ↓2 1 too low 14 
Smart Post – Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider Gutenberg Blocks for Blog & News 20K+ · 4.7★ (210)
wp.org #17 ↓1 3 too low 15 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #20 5 too low 16 
Smart Grid-Layout Design for Contact Form 7 10K+ · 4.5★ (72)
wp.org #13 ↑2 3 too high 17 
Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154)
wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too low 18 
WP Blog Post Layouts 9K+ · 4.7★ (83)
wp.org #15 ↓2 3 too high 19 
WPVibe – MCP Server for WordPress, works with Claude, ChatGPT & other AI MCP agents 100K+ · 5.0★ (199)
wp.org #23 ↓3 4 too low 20 
Post Grid 30K+ · 4.3★ (163)
wp.org #21 ↓2 1 too low 21 
FancyBox for WordPress 30K+ · 4.6★ (92)
wp.org #24 ↓2 3 too low 22 
Post Slider and Post Carousel with Post Vertical Scrolling Widget – A Responsive Post Slider 10K+ · 4.7★ (31)
wp.org #22 ↓1 23 
Duplicate Post – duplicate pages, copy content, clone posts 5K+ · 4.7★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #19 4 too high 24 Post Layouts 900+ · 4.5★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #16 ↓2 8 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.