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← Rankings

wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom checkbox”

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 checkbox”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 2 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

Select All Categories and Taxonomies, Change Checkbox to Radio Buttons shows at wp.org #10 but places #19 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 3K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.3★ average from 12 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 #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 1511 reviews, but shows at wp.org #22. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #1 2 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #2 3 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #3 4 Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #4 5 Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474) wp.org #6 1 too low 6 Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) wp.org #5 1 too high 7 Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117) wp.org #8 1 too low 8 Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (1511) wp.org #22 14 too low 9 Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) wp.org #9 10 Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) 10K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #16 6 too low 11 MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) wp.org #7 4 too high 12 Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132) wp.org #18 6 too low 13 Gravity Forms + Custom Post Types 10K+ · 4.4★ (46) wp.org #14 1 too low 14 Category AJAX Filter – Posts, Custom Post Types & Product Filter 6K+ · 4.9★ (158) wp.org #23 9 too low 15 Genesis Custom Blocks 10K+ · 4.5★ (21) wp.org #12 3 too high 16 Custom Field Template 30K+ · 4.0★ (24) wp.org #11 5 too high 17 S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ · 4.9★ (21) wp.org #13 4 too high 18 Custom Contact Forms 6K+ · 3.5★ (171) wp.org #21 3 too low 19 Select All Categories and Taxonomies, Change Checkbox to Radio Buttons 3K+ · 4.3★ (12) wp.org #10 9 too high 20 Teydea Login Customizer – Custom Login Page, Branding & Styling 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) wp.org #17 3 too high 21 White Label – WordPress Custom Admin, Custom Login Page, and Custom Dashboard 10K+ · 5.0★ (21) wp.org #24 3 too low 22 Custom Payment Gateways for WooCommerce 8K+ · 3.8★ (21) wp.org #15 7 too high 23 Custom 404 Pro 7K+ · 4.2★ (22) wp.org #19 4 too high 24 Custom Price for WooCommerce 3K+ · 4.2★ (5) wp.org #20 4 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.