wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom archive”
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 archive”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 1 plugin is 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
Custom Icons for Elementor and WPBakery shows at wp.org #14 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 1 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) places #9 on merit, 5.0★ from 423 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.
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #1 2 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #3 1 too high 5 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1915)
wp.org #5 6 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #7 ↓1 1 too low 7 
Simple Yearly Archive 6K+ · 4.7★ (30)
wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too high 8 
Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #13 ↓1 5 too low 9 Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #20 11 too low 10 
JS Archive List 3K+ · 4.8★ (45)
wp.org #11 ↑2 1 too low 11 
MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #9 2 too high 12 
Post/Page Specific Custom Code 6K+ · 4.6★ (42)
wp.org #15 3 too low 13 
Archive Content with Archived Post Status 5K+ · 4.9★ (36)
wp.org #18 5 too low 14 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↓1 2 too high 15 C Custom Upload Dir 5K+ · 4.4★ (25)
wp.org #16 1 too low 16 
Custom Query Blocks 700+ · 4.6★ (25) not PHP-current
wp.org #19 3 too low 17 
Archive Page 700+ · 5.0★ (3) thin reviews
wp.org #8 9 too high 18 
Internet Archive Wayback Machine Link Fixer 1K+ · 3.8★ (8) thin reviews
wp.org #10 8 too high 19 
Additional Custom Emails & Recipients for WooCommerce 2K+ · 5.0★ (18) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #23 4 too low 20 
Archive Title 1K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews
wp.org #17 3 too high 21 E Expanding Archives 3K+ · 4.7★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑1 22 
Custom Add to Cart labels for WooCommerce 5K+ · 3.9★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #24 2 too low 23 
ArchiveMaster – Auto Archive and Export Old Orders for WooCommerce 100+ · 5.0★ (4) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #22 ↓1 1 too high 24 Custom Icons for Elementor and WPBakery 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #14 10 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.