wp.org search vs our merit ranking: “custom js”
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 js”, we agree with wp.org on the top plugin, and our order differs from theirs on 9 of the top 20. 4 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
CodeKit – Custom Codes Editor shows at wp.org #12 but places #24 on merit, a gap of 12 places. Its 7K+ installs carry it up the search order; its 4.8★ average from 16 reviews, plus freshness and upkeep, place it lower on our volume-weighted scale.
Buried gem
Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields places #7 on merit, 4.9★ from 474 reviews, but shows at wp.org #11. A smaller install base keeps it further down the default search order than its quality signals alone would.
Simple Custom CSS and JS 600K+ · 4.4★ (104)
wp.org #1 2 
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) 2M+ · 4.5★ (1440) heavy footprint
wp.org #2 3 
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (418)
wp.org #4 1 too low 4 
Custom Post Type UI 1M+ · 4.6★ (276)
wp.org #3 ↑2 1 too high 5 
LiteSpeed Cache 7M+ · 4.8★ (2778)
wp.org #7 ↓1 2 too low 6 
ECS – Ele Custom Skin for Elementor 100K+ · 4.6★ (117)
wp.org #5 ↑4 1 too high 7 Product Addons for Woocommerce – Product Options with Custom Fields 30K+ · 4.9★ (474)
wp.org #11 ↑2 4 too low 8 
WPCode – Insert Headers and Footers + Custom Code Snippets – WordPress Code Manager 3M+ · 4.9★ (1915)
wp.org #10 ↑1 2 too low 9 
Custom Taxonomy Order 50K+ · 4.8★ (96)
wp.org #9 ↑3 10 
Custom Fonts – Host Your Fonts Locally 400K+ · 4.3★ (62)
wp.org #6 ↑1 4 too high 11 
Secure Custom Fields 100K+ · 4.8★ (69) heavy footprint
wp.org #8 3 too high 12 
Gallery Custom Links 30K+ · 4.7★ (208)
wp.org #14 ↓4 2 too low 13 
Custom Twitter Feeds – A Tweets Widget or X Feed Widget 100K+ · 4.8★ (401)
wp.org #19 ↑1 6 too low 14 
Elementor Website Builder – more than just a page builder 10M+ · 4.5★ (7323) not PHP-currentheavy footprint
wp.org #18 ↑6 4 too low 15 
Admin Custom Login 10K+ · 4.6★ (388)
wp.org #23 ↓6 8 too low 16 
LoginPress | wp-login Custom Login Page Customizer 200K+ · 4.8★ (1077) not PHP-current
wp.org #24 8 too low 17 
Custom Order Status Manager for WooCommerce 30K+ · 4.7★ (117) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #16 ↑2 1 too high 18 
JS Help Desk – AI-Powered Support & Ticketing System 7K+ · 3.7★ (74)
wp.org #15 ↑1 3 too high 19 
Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field 90K+ · 4.9★ (36)
wp.org #21 ↑1 2 too low 20 
MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies 10K+ · 4.7★ (13) thin reviews
wp.org #13 ↑1 7 too high 21 
Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK 10K+ · 4.7★ (97) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #20 ↑1 1 too high 22 
CSS JS Manager, Async JavaScript, Defer Render Blocking CSS 1K+ · 4.8★ (90) throws errorsnot PHP-current
wp.org #22 ↑1 23 
Custom Field Template 30K+ · 4.0★ (24) thin reviews
wp.org #17 ↑2 6 too high 24 CodeKit – Custom Codes Editor 7K+ · 4.8★ (16) throws errorsnot PHP-current thin reviews
wp.org #12 ↑3 12 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.