wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “admin customizer”
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 “admin customizer”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 4 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
Email Customizer for WooCommerce | Drag and Drop Email Templates Builder shows at wp.org #8 but places #16 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 9K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 44 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Admin Custom Login places #9 on merit, 4.6★ from 388 reviews, but shows at wp.org #15. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #1 2 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #2 3 
Custom Login Page Customizer 50K+ · 4.9★ (476)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Custom Login Page Customizer 80K+ · 4.8★ (410) not PHP-current
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #5 ↑3 6 
LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer 200K+ · 4.8★ (1077) not PHP-current
wp.org #11 ↑2 5 too low 7 
YayMail – WooCommerce Email Customizer 50K+ · 4.8★ (291)
wp.org #12 ↓6 5 too low 8 
Customizer for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (31)
wp.org #6 ↓1 2 too high 9 Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #15 6 too low 10 
Mailonix – Email Template Customizer for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (105) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #7 ↑2 3 too high 11 
Colorlib 404 Customizer 5K+ · 4.7★ (51)
wp.org #9 ↑2 2 too high 12 
Kirki – Freeform Page Builder, Website Builder & Customizer 400K+ · 4.5★ (81)
wp.org #10 ↑2 2 too high 13 
Adminify – White Label, Admin Menu Editor, Login Customizer 6K+ · 4.3★ (109)
wp.org #14 1 too low 14 
Email Templates Customizer and Designer for WordPress and WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.6★ (133)
wp.org #18 ↑4 4 too low 15 
Controlled Admin Access 10K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #16 1 too low 16 Email Customizer for WooCommerce | Drag and Drop Email Templates Builder 9K+ · 4.3★ (44) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 ↑2 8 too high 17 
Thanko Thank You Page Customizer for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.5★ (37) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓6 4 too high 18 
EmailKit – Email Customizer for WooCommerce & WP 70K+ · 4.7★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #17 1 too high 19 
Auto Hide Admin Bar 3K+ · 4.8★ (32)
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Admin Columns for ACF Fields 8K+ · 4.9★ (20) thin reviews
wp.org #20 21 
All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35)
wp.org #21 ↓2 22 
Customizer Search 40K+ · 5.0★ (10) thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↓1 3 too high 23 
Admin Custom Font 900+ · 4.5★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
Customize Admin 3K+ · 3.6★ (5) 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.