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

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 class widget”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 6 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

Custom Post Type Widgets shows at wp.org #12 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 14 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #1 2

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144) wp.org #2 3

ElementsKit Elementor Addons – Advanced Widgets & Templates Addons for Elementor 1M+ · 4.9★ (2051) wp.org #3 4

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #4 5

Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #5 6

Custom Twitter Feeds – A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget 100K+ · 4.8★ (401) wp.org #8 2 too low 7

ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #6 1 too high 8

Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322) wp.org #9 1 too low 9

Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) 10K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #7 2 too high 10

Widget Options – Advanced Conditional Visibility for Gutenberg Blocks & Classic Widgets 100K+ · 4.9★ (1516) wp.org #13 3 too low 11

Recent Posts Widget With Thumbnails 100K+ · 4.8★ (215) wp.org #10 1 too high 12

WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1917) wp.org #15 3 too low 13

Widget Context 30K+ · 4.5★ (98) wp.org #11 2 too high 14

Ultimate Addons for Elementor – Widgets, Templates, WooCommerce & Header Footer Builder 2M+ · 4.9★ (2528) wp.org #17 3 too low 15

Use Any Font | Custom Font Uploader 200K+ · 4.7★ (1148) wp.org #19 4 too low 16

SiteOrigin Widgets Bundle 400K+ · 4.9★ (134) wp.org #14 2 too high 17

Black Studio TinyMCE Widget 200K+ · 4.8★ (191) wp.org #16 1 too high 18

The Events Calendar 600K+ · 4.2★ (2461) wp.org #21 3 too low 19

Maps Widget for Google Maps 20K+ · 4.6★ (512) wp.org #23 4 too low 20

AccessiYes Accessibility Widget for ADA, EAA & WCAG Readiness 20K+ · 4.8★ (36) wp.org #18 2 too high 21 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews wp.org #12 9 too high 22

Statify Widget 4K+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #22 1 too high 24

Custom Icons for Elementor and WPBakery 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews 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.