wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom comment”
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 comment”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 7 of the top 20. 4 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
Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools shows at wp.org #13 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 8K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.1★ average from 15 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk places #7 on merit, 4.8★ from 3221 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #1 2 
Simple Custom CSS and JS 600K+ · 4.4★ (104)
wp.org #2 3 
Comments – wpDiscuz 60K+ · 4.7★ (581) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #3 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #5 ↑1 1 too low 5 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #6 ↓2 1 too low 6 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too high 7 Anti-Spam, Spam FireWall by CleanTalk 200K+ · 4.8★ (3221)
wp.org #11 ↓2 4 too low 8 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #7 1 too high 9 
Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint
wp.org #10 ↓2 1 too low 10 
Disable Comments 1M+ · 4.7★ (281)
wp.org #8 2 too high 11 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916)
wp.org #12 ↓2 1 too low 12 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint
wp.org #9 ↑2 3 too high 13 
Custom Twitter Feeds – A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget 100K+ · 4.8★ (401)
wp.org #19 ↓2 6 too low 14 
Gallery Custom Links 30K+ · 4.7★ (208)
wp.org #17 ↓2 3 too low 15 
Smash Balloon Social Post Feed – Simple Social Feeds for WordPress 100K+ · 4.7★ (1511)
wp.org #24 ↓1 9 too low 16 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #14 ↓1 2 too high 17 
Simple Comment Editing 2K+ · 4.8★ (55)
wp.org #16 ↓2 1 too high 18 
Comment Reply Email Notification 3K+ · 4.8★ (33)
wp.org #22 ↓1 4 too low 19 
Disable Comments 100K+ · 3.8★ (25)
wp.org #15 ↑1 4 too high 20 
Disqus Comment System 30K+ · 2.7★ (219)
wp.org #18 ↑6 2 too high 21 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↓1 22 S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ · 4.9★ (21) heavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #23 ↓1 1 too low 23 Comment Link Remove and Other Comment Tools 8K+ · 4.1★ (15) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↓1 10 too high 24 
CodeKit – Custom Codes Editor 7K+ · 4.8★ (16) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↓1 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.