wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wordpress post views”
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 views”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Wp Post Views – WordPress Post views counter shows at wp.org #3 but places #15 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.4★ average from 7 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More places #12 on merit, 4.8★ from 14387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #1 2 
Post Views Counter 100K+ · 4.9★ (1237)
wp.org #2 ↑2 3 
Translate WordPress with GTranslate 900K+ · 4.9★ (4962)
wp.org #6 ↑1 3 too low 4 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #4 ↓2 5 
TablePress – Tables in WordPress made easy 600K+ · 5.0★ (4625)
wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 
MonsterInsights – Google Analytics Dashboard for WordPress (Website Stats Made Easy) 2M+ · 4.5★ (3157) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 1 too high 7 
Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) heavy footprint
wp.org #7 ↑1 8 
Post SMTP – Complete Email Delivery and SMTP Solution with Email Logs, Alerts, Backup SMTP & Mobile App 300K+ · 4.7★ (528)
wp.org #9 ↓3 1 too low 9 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #10 ↑1 1 too low 10 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143)
wp.org #13 3 too low 11 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #12 1 too low 12 WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #16 ↓1 4 too low 13 
WP Popular Posts 100K+ · 4.5★ (249)
wp.org #11 ↓1 2 too high 14 
Burst Statistics – Simple WordPress Analytics (Google Analytics Alternative) 200K+ · 4.9★ (186)
wp.org #14 ↑3 15 Wp Post Views – WordPress Post views counter 4K+ · 4.4★ (7) thin reviews
wp.org #3 12 too high 16 
WP Fastest Cache – WordPress Cache Plugin 1M+ · 4.9★ (4228)
wp.org #19 3 too low 17 
Independent Analytics – WordPress Analytics Plugin 100K+ · 4.8★ (167)
wp.org #18 ↑6 1 too low 18 
The Post Grid – Shortcode, Gutenberg Blocks and Elementor Addon for Post Grid 100K+ · 4.8★ (265)
wp.org #24 ↓1 6 too low 19 
Post Duplicator 200K+ · 4.8★ (80)
wp.org #22 ↓3 3 too low 20 
Ultimate Post Kit – Elementor Post Grid, Post Carousel, Post Slider & Blog Layout Widgets 30K+ · 4.8★ (58)
wp.org #23 ↓3 3 too low 21 
Advanced Views – Display Framework – Gutenberg/Elementor/Shortcode 3K+ · 4.8★ (36)
wp.org #21 22 
Page View Count 10K+ · 4.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #15 ↓1 7 too high 23 
Post View Count 4K+ · 4.6★ (18) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓2 3 too high 24 
Light Views Counter – Fast, Scalable View Counter for High-Traffic Sites 3K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 7 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.