wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom hook”
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 hook”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 5 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.
Ranked above its merit
Astra Hooks shows at wp.org #12 but places #22 on merit, a gap of 10 places. Its 20K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.5★ average from 6 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI places #8 on merit, 4.8★ from 27821 reviews, but shows at wp.org #13. 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 
Forminator Forms – Contact Form, Payment Form & Custom Form Builder 600K+ · 4.8★ (2144)
wp.org #3 ↓1 1 too low 3 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #2 ↑3 1 too high 4 
Simple Custom Post Order 300K+ · 4.8★ (588)
wp.org #4 ↓1 5 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #5 ↓1 6 
Custom Sidebars – Dynamic Sidebar Classic Widget Area Manager 100K+ · 4.7★ (1028)
wp.org #9 3 too low 7 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #6 1 too high 8 Yoast SEO – Advanced SEO with real-time guidance and built-in AI 10M+ · 4.8★ (27821)
wp.org #13 ↑3 5 too low 9 
WooCommerce 7M+ · 4.5★ (4833) throws errorsnot PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #8 1 too high 10 
Custom Fonts – Host Your Fonts Locally 400K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #7 3 too high 11 
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #11 12 
Custom Post Type Permalinks 200K+ · 4.8★ (71)
wp.org #10 2 too high 13 
Use Any Font | Custom Font Uploader 200K+ · 4.7★ (1148)
wp.org #23 10 too low 14 
Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #14 ↓1 15 
Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ · 4.9★ (60)
wp.org #24 9 too low 16 
Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↑1 17 
Custom Field Template 30K+ · 4.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #15 2 too high 18 S Smart Custom Fields 50K+ · 4.9★ (21) heavy footprint thin reviews
wp.org #19 ↑2 1 too low 19 C Custom Post Type Widgets 10K+ · 4.8★ (14) thin reviews
wp.org #18 ↑1 1 too high 20 W WC-AC Hook 1K+ · 5.0★ (15) thin reviews
wp.org #20 ↑2 21 
Custom Product tabs for WooCommerce 10K+ · 4.9★ (48) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↓8 1 too low 22 Astra Hooks 20K+ · 4.5★ (6) thin reviews
wp.org #12 10 too high 23 
CodeKit – Custom Codes Editor 7K+ · 4.8★ (16) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑1 6 too high 24 
Custom Icons for Elementor and WPBakery 10K+ · 5.0★ (1) thin reviews
wp.org #21 ↑2 3 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.