wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom column”
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 column”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 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
Make Section & Column Clickable For Elementor shows at wp.org #9 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 10K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 11 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields places #9 on merit, 4.9★ from 474 reviews, but shows at wp.org #16. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #1 2 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #3 1 too low 3 
Make Column Clickable for Elementor 100K+ · 4.9★ (53)
wp.org #2 1 too high 4 
Admin Columns 100K+ · 4.9★ (1652)
wp.org #5 1 too low 5 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #4 1 too high 6 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #6 7 
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #10 3 too low 8 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474)
wp.org #16 7 too low 10 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1917)
wp.org #15 5 too low 11 
Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #11 12 
Admin Slug Column 5K+ · 4.9★ (31)
wp.org #8 4 too high 13 
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #13 14 
Custom Twitter Feeds – A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget 100K+ · 4.8★ (401)
wp.org #19 5 too low 15 
Gallery Custom Links 30K+ · 4.7★ (208)
wp.org #17 2 too low 16 
Admin and Site Enhancements (ASE) 200K+ · 5.0★ (423)
wp.org #23 7 too low 17 
Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117)
wp.org #18 1 too low 18 Make Section & Column Clickable For Elementor 10K+ · 4.8★ (11) thin reviews
wp.org #9 9 too high 19 
Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97)
wp.org #22 3 too low 20 
Featured Image Column 2K+ · 4.5★ (12) thin reviews
wp.org #12 8 too high 21 
MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #14 7 too high 22 
Custom Field Template 30K+ · 4.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #20 2 too high 23 
CodeKit – Custom Codes Editor 7K+ · 4.8★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
WPC Admin Columns 1K+ · 5.0★ (4) thin reviews
wp.org #21 3 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.