wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom function”
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 function”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 4 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
Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce shows at wp.org #14 but places #18 on merit, a gap of 4 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
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.
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440)
wp.org #1 2 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
Simple Custom CSS and JS 600K+ · 4.4★ (104)
wp.org #2 ↑1 1 too high 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #4 ↑2 5 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1917)
wp.org #7 1 too low 7 
Custom Permalinks 100K+ · 4.1★ (116)
wp.org #6 ↓1 1 too high 8 Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #12 ↑1 4 too low 9 
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #10 ↑1 11 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69)
wp.org #9 2 too high 12 
Code Snippets 1M+ · 4.7★ (510)
wp.org #13 ↓3 1 too low 13 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #11 ↑1 2 too high 14 
Custom Twitter Feeds – A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget 100K+ · 4.8★ (401)
wp.org #21 7 too low 15 
Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117)
wp.org #17 2 too low 16 
Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field 90K+ · 4.9★ (36)
wp.org #16 17 
Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97)
wp.org #22 5 too low 18 Custom Order Numbers for WooCommerce 20K+ · 4.2★ (25)
wp.org #14 ↑1 4 too high 19 
MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #15 ↓1 4 too high 20 
Genesis Custom Blocks 10K+ · 4.5★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #18 2 too high 21 
List Custom Taxonomy Widget 8K+ · 4.7★ (21) thin reviews
wp.org #20 1 too high 22 
Custom Field Template 30K+ · 4.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #19 3 too high 23 
Custom CSS Pro 7K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #24 1 too low 24 
CodeKit – Custom Codes Editor 7K+ · 4.8★ (16) thin reviews
wp.org #23 1 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.