wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “conditional 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 “conditional fields”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 6 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
Extensions For CF7 (Contact form 7 Database, Conditional Fields and Redirection) shows at wp.org #10 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.9★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce places #12 on merit, 4.9★ from 1056 reviews, but shows at wp.org #20. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Conditional Fields for Contact Form 7 100K+ · 4.8★ (166) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #1 2 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Flexible Checkout Fields for WooCommerce – WooCommerce Checkout Manager 80K+ · 4.7★ (296)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Calculated Fields Form – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact, Payment, Quote, Quiz & More 40K+ · 4.9★ (973)
wp.org #8 ↓1 3 too low 6 
WPForms – AI Form Builder for WordPress – Contact Forms, Payment Forms, Survey Form, Quiz & More 5M+ · 4.8★ (14387)
wp.org #11 5 too low 7 
Ultra Addons for Contact Form 7 60K+ · 4.8★ (107)
wp.org #7 ↑2 8 
Advanced Product Fields (Product Addons) for WooCommerce 50K+ · 4.8★ (284)
wp.org #9 ↓1 1 too low 9 
Conditional Fields for Elementor Form – Apply Conditional Logic 10K+ · 4.7★ (32) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 6 too high 10 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint
wp.org #6 4 too high 11 
Fluent Forms – Customizable Contact Forms, Survey, Quiz, & Conversational Form Builder 800K+ · 4.8★ (807)
wp.org #16 5 too low 12 Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 400K+ · 4.9★ (1056)
wp.org #20 ↓3 8 too low 13 
MetForm – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Conditional Forms, Form Templates & Custom Form Builder for Elementor 500K+ · 4.7★ (509) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too high 14 
Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445)
wp.org #24 10 too low 15 
Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field 90K+ · 4.9★ (36)
wp.org #14 1 too high 16 
Flexible Product Fields (WooCommerce Product Addons) – WooCommerce Product Page Editor 10K+ · 4.5★ (106)
wp.org #19 ↑1 3 too low 17 
Conditional Payments for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.6★ (28)
wp.org #13 4 too high 18 Extensions For CF7 (Contact form 7 Database, Conditional Fields and Redirection) 5K+ · 4.9★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #10 ↑2 8 too high 19 
Conditional Blocks – Advanced Content Visibility Control for WordPress 2K+ · 4.9★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too high 20 S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ · 4.9★ (21) heavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #22 2 too low 21 
CF7 Mate – Contact Form 7 Styler, Multi-Step Forms & Conditional Logic 20K+ · 3.9★ (46) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #23 2 too low 22 
Conditional Logic Emails, Fields, Redirect for Elementor Forms 2K+ · 4.3★ (12) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #15 7 too high 23 
Product Input Fields for WooCommerce 4K+ · 4.0★ (17) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #21 2 too high 24 
Conditional Payment Methods for WooCommerce 1K+ · 5.0★ (3) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 7 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.