wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “comment custom 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 “comment custom fields”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 5 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
Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools shows at wp.org #11 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 8K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.1★ average from 15 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress places #12 on merit, 4.7★ from 1511 reviews, but shows at wp.org #21. 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 2 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #2 3 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #5 2 too low 4 
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #7 3 too low 5 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint
wp.org #3 2 too high 6 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #6 7 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ · 4.9★ (21) heavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #4 4 too high 9 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #9 10 
Comments – wpDiscuz 60K+ · 4.7★ (581) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #13 2 too low 12 Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (1511)
wp.org #21 9 too low 13 
Custom Twitter Feeds – A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget 100K+ · 4.8★ (401)
wp.org #18 5 too low 14 
Gallery Custom Links 30K+ · 4.7★ (208)
wp.org #17 3 too low 15 
WC Fields Factory 7K+ · 4.3★ (168)
wp.org #14 1 too high 16 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #22 6 too low 17 
Simple Comment Editing 2K+ · 4.8★ (55)
wp.org #15 2 too high 18 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #24 6 too low 19 
WordPress Importer 2M+ · 3.1★ (327)
wp.org #16 3 too high 20 B BuddyPress Xprofile Custom Field Types 3K+ · 4.9★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #19 1 too high 21 Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #11 10 too high 22 
Comments Extra Fields For Post,Pages and CPT 500+ · 4.2★ (9) thin reviews
wp.org #12 10 too high 23 
CodeKit – Custom Codes Editor 7K+ · 4.8★ (16) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 3 too high 24 C Custom Metadata Manager 700+ · 4.4★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 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.