wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom ads”
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 ads”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 10 of the top 20.
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 the install base is organic or host-pushed, and its risk of being pulled.
Ranked above its merit
Google for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #5 but places #13 on merit, a gap of 8 places. Its 800K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 2.7★ average from 268 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Advanced Ads – Ad Manager & AdSense 90K+ · 4.9★ (1463)
wp.org #1 2 
Ad Inserter – Ad Manager & AdSense Ads 300K+ · 4.9★ (2433)
wp.org #2 3 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #3 ↑2 4 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #4 5 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833)
wp.org #6 1 too low 6 
Quads Ads Manager for Google AdSense 20K+ · 4.9★ (1087)
wp.org #8 2 too low 7 
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #9 1 too low 9 
Jetpack – AI Agents & MCP, Security, Backup & Analytics 3M+ · 3.7★ (2408)
wp.org #7 2 too high 10 
Pixel Manager for WooCommerce – Conversion Tracking, Google Ads, GA4, TikTok, Dynamic Remarketing 40K+ · 4.9★ (399)
wp.org #13 3 too low 11 
Classified Listing – AI-Powered Classified ads & Business Directory 9K+ · 4.8★ (138)
wp.org #11 12 
HivePress – Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads Plugin 10K+ · 4.9★ (222)
wp.org #15 3 too low 13 Google for WooCommerce 800K+ · 2.7★ (268) low rating, top placement
wp.org #5 ↓2 8 too high 14 
Directorist: AI-Powered Business Directory, Listings & Classified Ads 20K+ · 4.6★ (698)
wp.org #23 ↓1 9 too low 15 
WP Statistics – Simple, privacy-friendly Google Analytics alternative 500K+ · 4.1★ (758)
wp.org #18 3 too low 16 
Complianz GDPR/CCPA Cookie Consent Banner 1M+ · 4.7★ (1667)
wp.org #22 6 too low 17 
PixelYourSite – Your smart PIXEL (TAG) & API Manager 400K+ · 4.3★ (281)
wp.org #21 4 too low 18 
Ad Invalid Click Protector (AICP) 10K+ · 4.7★ (62)
wp.org #19 ↓1 1 too low 19 
Easy Google Adsense and Banner Ads Manager – AdsforWP 1K+ · 4.6★ (43)
wp.org #14 5 too high 20 
MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #12 8 too high 21 
CHP Ads Block Detector 800+ · 4.0★ (25)
wp.org #16 5 too high 22 
Custom Payment Gateways for WooCommerce 3K+ · 5.0★ (28)
wp.org #24 ↓3 2 too low 23 
Hafenstudios Ads – Ad Manager, AdSense & Banner Ads 100+ · 5.0★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 3 too high 24 
AdFlow – Ad Inserter & Ad Manager: AdSense, Banner Ads & ads.txt 3K+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #17 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.