wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “all fields”

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 “all fields”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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

Product Input Fields for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #16 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 4K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.0★ average from 17 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More places #8 on merit, 4.9★ from 973 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint wp.org #1 ↑1 2

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 #2 ↓1 3

All-In-One Security (AIOS) – Security and Firewall 1M+ · 4.7★ (1720) wp.org #3 4

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #4 5

Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #5 ↑1 6

WP All Import – Drag & Drop Import for CSV, XML, Excel & Google Sheets 100K+ · 4.7★ (1966) wp.org #7 ↑2 1 too low 7

Flexible Checkout Fields for WooCommerce – WooCommerce Checkout Manager 80K+ · 4.7★ (296) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8

Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973) wp.org #13 ↓8 5 too low 9

Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284) wp.org #12 ↓1 3 too low 10

Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint wp.org #8 2 too high 11

Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60) wp.org #10 ↑6 1 too high 12

WP All Export – Drag & Drop Export to Any Custom CSV, XML & Excel 100K+ · 4.5★ (415) wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too low 13

Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 400K+ · 4.9★ (1056) wp.org #17 ↓2 4 too low 14

Export All URLs 50K+ · 4.6★ (94) wp.org #11 ↑1 3 too high 15

Conditional Fields for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.8★ (166) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 ↑1 6 too high 16

Invisible Anti-Spam & CAPTCHA — reCAPTCHA Alternative for All Forms 4K+ · 4.8★ (50) wp.org #15 ↓1 1 too high 17

Flexible Product Fields (WooCommerce Product Addons) – WooCommerce Product Page Editor 10K+ · 4.5★ (106) wp.org #19 ↓1 2 too low 18

WC Fields Factory 7K+ · 4.3★ (168) wp.org #21 ↓1 3 too low 19 S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ · 4.9★ (21) heavy footprint thin reviews wp.org #18 ↓1 1 too high 20

All In One Login 60K+ · 3.6★ (35) wp.org #24 4 too low 21

Conditional Fields for Elementor Form – Apply Conditional Logic 10K+ · 4.7★ (32) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #23 ↓2 2 too low 22

WP All Import – Import Add-On for ACF 50K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews wp.org #20 ↓1 2 too high 23

Product Input Fields for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.0★ (17) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #16 7 too high 24

WP All Import – Import SEO Settings for All In One SEO 1K+ · 5.0★ (2) thin reviews wp.org #22 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.