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

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 database”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 2 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.

S

Ranked above its merit

SQLite Database Integration shows at wp.org #11 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 7 places. Its 5K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.6★ average from 12 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager places #8 on merit, 4.7★ from 1028 reviews, but shows at wp.org #12. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin wp.org
1 Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) wp.org #1 2 Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #3 1 too low 3 Advanced Database Cleaner – Optimize & Clean Database to Speed Up Site Performance 100K+ · 4.9★ (1962) wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too low 4 Simple Custom CSS and JS 600K+ · 4.4★ (104) wp.org #2 ↑2 2 too high 5 Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588) wp.org #5 ↑3 6 Database Cleaner: Cleanup, Optimization & Repair 10K+ · 5.0★ (150) wp.org #6 7 WP-Optimize – Cache, Compress images, Minify & Clean database to boost page speed & performance 1M+ · 4.8★ (2617) wp.org #8 ↓1 1 too low 8 Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028) wp.org #12 4 too low 9 Optimize Database after Deleting Revisions 60K+ · 4.7★ (181) wp.org #9 10 Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #7 ↓2 3 too high 11 UpdraftPlus: WP Backup & Migration Plugin 4M+ · 4.8★ (8708) wp.org #14 3 too low 12 Database Reset 10K+ · 4.5★ (77) wp.org #10 2 too high 13 WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1916) wp.org #17 ↓2 4 too low 14 Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474) wp.org #19 ↓3 5 too low 15 Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96) wp.org #13 2 too high 16 Duplicator – Backups & Migration Plugin – Cloud Backups, Scheduled Backups, & More 1M+ · 4.9★ (4940) wp.org #22 ↓2 6 too low 17 Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field 90K+ · 4.9★ (36) wp.org #20 ↑1 3 too low 18 S SQLite Database Integration 5K+ · 4.6★ (12) wp.org #11 7 too high 19 Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) wp.org #23 4 too low 20 CF7 Apps – Addons for Contact Form 7 (Honeypot, Database, Redirection, Webhook, etc.) 300K+ · 3.8★ (135) wp.org #18 ↓1 2 too high 21 Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25) wp.org #15 ↑3 6 too high 22 Custom Global Variables 5K+ · 5.0★ (10) wp.org #21 ↑1 1 too high 23 CodingBunny Database Cleaner 200+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #16 ↑3 7 too high 24 BBH Custom Schema – Add Custom JSON-LD to Your Website 900+ · 5.0★ (2) wp.org #24

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.