wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “acf import”
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 “acf import”, 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
CSV Importer Plus for ACF shows at wp.org #14 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 400+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Polylang places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 3004 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.
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 ↑1 2 
WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966)
wp.org #4 ↓1 2 too low 3 
Import and export users and customers 70K+ · 4.7★ (259)
wp.org #3 ↑1 4 
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #7 ↑3 3 too low 5 
WP Import Export Lite 40K+ · 4.0★ (113)
wp.org #5 ↑1 6 
WP All Import – Import Add-On for ACF 50K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #2 ↓1 4 too high 7 
Export and Import Users and Customers 50K+ · 4.8★ (442) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 
ACF: Better Search 40K+ · 4.9★ (165)
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 
All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #11 ↓2 2 too low 10 
Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #10 ↑3 11 Polylang 900K+ · 4.7★ (3004)
wp.org #16 ↑2 5 too low 12 
Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132)
wp.org #13 ↓1 1 too low 13 
Import Users from CSV 10K+ · 4.1★ (44)
wp.org #8 ↓1 5 too high 14 
Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281)
wp.org #20 ↓3 6 too low 15 
WP Ultimate CSV Importer – WordPress CSV, XML & Excel Import Export 20K+ · 4.4★ (593)
wp.org #21 6 too low 16 
Advanced Views – Display Framework – Gutenberg/Elementor/Shortcode 3K+ · 4.8★ (36)
wp.org #22 6 too low 17 
Import XML and RSS Feeds 2K+ · 3.8★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↓1 18 
Simple Export Import for ACF Data 1K+ · 3.4★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 6 too high 19 
Post Export Import with Media 1K+ · 4.5★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #15 4 too high 20 
Import WP – CSV & XML Import Export for WordPress 4K+ · 4.4★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #19 1 too high 21 CSV Importer Plus for ACF 400+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #14 7 too high 22 
Import from YML 400+ · 4.8★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 too low 23 
Magic Export & Import 200+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑2 5 too high 24 
Any Post Import Export with ACF 80+ · 4.0★ (2) thin reviews
wp.org #24 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.