wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “wp list 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 “wp list posts”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 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
WP Accessibility shows at wp.org #14 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 6 places. Its 60K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 68 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
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 #1 2 
List category posts 70K+ · 4.7★ (254)
wp.org #2 3 
WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617)
wp.org #3 ↑2 4 
UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8709)
wp.org #6 2 too low 5 
WP Super Cache 1M+ · 4.3★ (1346)
wp.org #4 ↑4 1 too high 6 
WP Popular Posts 100K+ · 4.5★ (249)
wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too high 7 
All-in-One WP Migration and Backup 5M+ · 4.5★ (7676)
wp.org #7 8 
Duplicate Post 300K+ · 4.9★ (1623)
wp.org #10 ↑3 2 too low 9 
WP Store Locator 40K+ · 4.8★ (312)
wp.org #9 ↑2 10 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #8 ↑1 2 too high 11 
Widgets for Google Reviews 1M+ · 4.9★ (2667)
wp.org #11 12 
WP Activity Log 300K+ · 4.7★ (490)
wp.org #13 ↑1 1 too low 13 
WP Content Copy Protection & No Right Click 100K+ · 4.8★ (1139)
wp.org #18 ↑2 5 too low 14 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #17 ↑1 3 too low 15 
Post Types Order 600K+ · 4.5★ (296)
wp.org #12 ↓2 3 too high 16 
WP Reset 300K+ · 4.8★ (1014)
wp.org #19 ↑2 3 too low 17 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440)
wp.org #15 2 too high 18 
Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215)
wp.org #16 ↑3 2 too high 19 
WP RSS Aggregator – RSS Import, Feed to Post, Autoblogging, AI Content 40K+ · 4.5★ (565)
wp.org #20 ↓3 1 too low 20 WP Accessibility 60K+ · 4.8★ (68)
wp.org #14 ↑1 6 too high 21 
SchedulePress – Auto Post & Publish, Auto Social Share, Schedule Posts with Editorial Calendar & Missed Schedule Post Publisher 10K+ · 4.6★ (201)
wp.org #21 ↑1 22 
WP-Sweep 100K+ · 4.7★ (138)
wp.org #23 ↑1 1 too low 23 
VS Event List 8K+ · 4.9★ (82)
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
List categories 5K+ · 4.5★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑1 2 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.