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wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “acf shortcode”

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 shortcode”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 12 of the top 20. 3 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

Advanced Custom Fields: Typography Field shows at wp.org #10 but places #20 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 5 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin places #6 on merit, 4.9★ from 1281 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #1 2 ACF Frontend Admin by DynamiApps 8K+ · 4.5★ (160) wp.org #2 3 Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #3 4 Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132) wp.org #4 5 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821) wp.org #8 ↑1 3 too low 6 Members – Membership & User Role Editor Plugin 300K+ · 4.9★ (1281) wp.org #12 ↓2 6 too low 7 Advanced Views – Display Framework – Gutenberg/Elementor/Shortcode 3K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 ACF-VC Integrator 3K+ · 4.9★ (19) wp.org #5 3 too high 9 Meta Field Block – Display Custom Fields for ACF, Meta Box and More 10K+ · 5.0★ (57) wp.org #9 ↓1 10 All in One SEO – AI SEO Plugin to Boost SEO Rankings & Traffic (Schema, Local SEO, Sitemap & SEO Insights) 2M+ · 4.7★ (5231) wp.org #14 ↓1 4 too low 11 PDF.js Viewer 20K+ · 4.4★ (53) wp.org #11 ↑1 12 Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #18 ↑1 6 too low 13 Advanced Forms for ACF 3K+ · 5.0★ (41) wp.org #13 ↑1 14 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423) wp.org #24 10 too low 15 Filter Everything — WordPress & WooCommerce Filters 50K+ · 4.6★ (154) wp.org #20 5 too low 16 ACF Field For CF7 10K+ · 4.7★ (11) wp.org #7 ↓1 9 too high 17 HUSKY – Products Filter for WooCommerce Professional. MCP is onboard 80K+ · 4.6★ (337) wp.org #23 6 too low 18 CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ · 3.8★ (135) wp.org #22 ↓4 4 too low 19 Addoncraft Repeater For Elementor ACF 100+ · 5.0★ (5) wp.org #16 ↓1 3 too high 20 Advanced Custom Fields: Typography Field 3K+ · 4.6★ (5) wp.org #10 ↑1 10 too high 21 Repeater2Template Widget for ACF Repeater and Elementor 100+ · 5.0★ (6) wp.org #21 22 WYSIWYG Character Limit for ACF 100+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #17 5 too high 23 Shortcode Enabler for ACF 70+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #19 ↑3 4 too high 24 Advanced Gallery & Repeater Fields for ACF 700+ · 0.0★ (0) wp.org #15 ↑1 9 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.