wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom codes”
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 codes”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 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
Add Custom Codes – Insert Header, Footer, Custom PHP Snippets, CSS, Javascript shows at wp.org #7 but places #21 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 5.0★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security places #11 on merit, 4.7★ from 5040 reviews, but shows at wp.org #18. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510)
wp.org #1 2 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440)
wp.org #2 ↑1 3 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #3 ↓1 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #8 ↓1 4 too low 5 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #9 ↑1 4 too low 6 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #6 ↑5 7 
Simple Custom CSS and JS 600K+ · 4.4★ (104)
wp.org #5 2 too high 8 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7322)
wp.org #10 ↑4 2 too low 9 
CodeKit – Custom Codes Editor 7K+ · 4.8★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #4 5 too high 10 
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #16 ↑3 6 too low 11 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5040)
wp.org #18 7 too low 12 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #11 ↑1 1 too high 13 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69)
wp.org #12 ↓3 1 too high 14 
FluentSnippets – High-Performance Code Snippets, Header & Footer Code, Custom CSS & PHP Code Manager 50K+ · 4.7★ (78)
wp.org #13 1 too high 15 
Head & Footer Code 100K+ · 5.0★ (51)
wp.org #17 ↑3 2 too low 16 
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #20 ↑2 4 too low 17 
Custom Fonts – Host Your Fonts Locally 400K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #14 ↑1 3 too high 18 
Post/Page Specific Custom Code 6K+ · 4.6★ (42)
wp.org #15 ↑2 3 too high 19 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #19 ↑2 20 
Site Kit by Google – Analytics, Search Console, AdSense, Speed 5M+ · 4.2★ (1012)
wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Add Custom Codes – Insert Header, Footer, Custom PHP Snippets, CSS, Javascript 1K+ · 5.0★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #7 ↑1 14 too high 22 
Skyboot Custom Icons for Elementor – Elementor Icons library – 14300+ Icons 200K+ · 5.0★ (22) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑2 1 too high 23 
Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25)
wp.org #22 ↓6 1 too high 24 
MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #23 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.