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

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 endpoints”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 11 of the top 20. 6 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

Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #9 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 9 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.2★ average from 25 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.

Buried gem

Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder places #10 on merit, 4.8★ from 1387 reviews, but shows at wp.org #23. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.

merit plugin signals wp.org

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint wp.org #1 2

Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2143) wp.org #2 3

Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (587) wp.org #4 ↓2 1 too low 4

Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418) wp.org #5 ↓2 1 too low 5

Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116) wp.org #3 ↑1 2 too high 6

Wordfence Security – Firewall, Malware Scan, and Login Security 5M+ · 4.7★ (5039) heavy footprint wp.org #6 ↓1 7

ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117) wp.org #7 ↑1 8

Gallery Custom Links 30K+ · 4.7★ (208) wp.org #11 3 too low 9

Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint wp.org #8 ↓2 1 too high 10

Formidable Forms – Contact Form, Survey, Quiz, Payment, Calculator Form & Custom Form Builder 300K+ · 4.8★ (1387) wp.org #23 13 too low 11

Advanced Custom Fields: Extended 100K+ · 4.8★ (132) wp.org #18 ↓2 7 too low 12

Easy Google Maps by Supsystic – Custom Markers, Clustering & Map Themes 20K+ · 4.6★ (251) wp.org #20 8 too low 13

Custom API for WP 1K+ · 4.8★ (45) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #10 ↓1 3 too high 14

Custom Contact Forms 6K+ · 3.5★ (171) wp.org #15 ↓3 1 too low 15

Simple JWT Login – Allows you to use JWT on REST endpoints. 4K+ · 5.0★ (47) wp.org #19 ↓4 4 too low 16 C Custom Upload Dir 5K+ · 4.4★ (25) wp.org #12 4 too high 17

Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #9 ↓2 9 too high 19

WP REST Cache 10K+ · 4.9★ (42) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #21 ↓1 2 too low 20

SysBasics Customize My Account for WooCommerce – Live My Account Customizer 7K+ · 4.2★ (33) throws errorsnot PHP-current wp.org #16 ↓3 4 too high 21

Custom Site Logo 1K+ · 4.7★ (9) thin reviews wp.org #17 ↓3 4 too high 22

LLM Markdown – Markdown Endpoints for AI Agents 700+ · 5.0★ (5) thin reviews wp.org #22 23

Customize Dokan Dashboard Endpoints 60+ · 5.0★ (2) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews wp.org #14 ↓3 9 too high 24

Custom SMTP: Email Deliverability – FREE & Easy-to-use 200+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews 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.