wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom admin ui”
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 “custom admin ui”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 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
MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies shows at wp.org #12 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.7★ average from 13 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields places #10 on merit, 4.9★ from 474 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #1 2 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587)
wp.org #4 ↑1 5 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #5 ↑1 6 
Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #6 ↑1 7 
Admin Menu Editor 300K+ · 4.6★ (312)
wp.org #7 ↑1 8 
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #13 ↑1 5 too low 9 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #14 ↑1 5 too low 10 Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474)
wp.org #16 ↑1 6 too low 11 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint
wp.org #9 ↑7 2 too high 12 
Custom Fonts – Host Your Fonts Locally 400K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #8 ↑1 4 too high 13 
Custom Twitter Feeds – A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget 100K+ · 4.8★ (401)
wp.org #21 ↑1 8 too low 14 
Gallery Custom Links 30K+ · 4.7★ (208)
wp.org #19 ↑1 5 too low 15 
BrikPanel: WooCommerce Dashboard & Analytics, Abandoned Cart Recovery, Order Export, Inventory Management & Bulk Editor 1K+ · 5.0★ (55) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #10 5 too high 16 
View Admin As 9K+ · 4.9★ (49)
wp.org #18 2 too low 17 
Admin Bar Editor – Toolbar Customization with User Role based access & Custom menus 3K+ · 4.4★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #11 6 too high 18 
Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓3 3 too high 19 MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑1 7 too high 20 
Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #17 ↑2 3 too high 21 
Admin Menu Tree Page View 10K+ · 4.6★ (48)
wp.org #24 3 too low 22 
Admin Notices Manager 10K+ · 4.9★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑1 2 too high 23 
Custom CSS Pro 7K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↑1 1 too high 24 
CodeKit – Custom Codes Editor 7K+ · 4.8★ (16) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↑1 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.