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

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 content”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 8 of the top 20. 3 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.

C

Ranked above its merit

Custom Content Width shows at wp.org #9 but places #23 on merit, a gap of 14 places. Its 1K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 8 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager places #9 on merit, 4.7★ from 1028 reviews, but shows at wp.org #17. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #1 2 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #2 3 Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #5 ↓1 2 too low 4 Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276) wp.org #3 1 too high 5 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #6 ↑1 1 too low 6 Simple Custom CSS and JS 600K+ · 4.4★ (104) wp.org #4 ↑1 2 too high 7 WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) wp.org #7 ↓1 8 Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #8 9 Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028) wp.org #17 ↑4 8 too low 10 Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5038) wp.org #14 ↑2 4 too low 11 Content Views – Post Grid & Filter (Shortcode, Blocks, Elementor Widgets) 100K+ · 4.8★ (333) wp.org #13 ↓1 2 too low 12 ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #12 13 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1915) wp.org #18 ↑2 5 too low 14 Ultimate Member – User Profile, Registration, Login, Member Directory, Content Restriction & Membership Plugin 200K+ · 4.4★ (1445) wp.org #19 ↓4 5 too low 15 Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) wp.org #15 ↑2 16 Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) wp.org #11 ↑3 5 too high 17 Custom Fonts – Host Your Fonts Locally 400K+ · 4.3★ (62) wp.org #10 7 too high 18 Content Blocks (Custom Post Widget) 10K+ · 4.9★ (80) wp.org #20 ↑2 2 too low 19 Table of Contents Plus – Automatic Table of Contents for Posts & Pages 200K+ · 4.5★ (187) wp.org #21 2 too low 20 Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #24 4 too low 21 Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71) wp.org #23 ↑1 2 too low 22 Real Custom Post Order: Create a custom order for your content 8K+ · 4.8★ (42) wp.org #16 ↑2 6 too high 23 C Custom Content Width 1K+ · 4.8★ (8) wp.org #9 14 too high 24 Passster – Password Protect Pages and Content 10K+ · 4.2★ (60) wp.org #22 ↓11 2 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.